Can't Run Away
by FullWolfMoonGirl
Summary: Set during season 4 after Wild at Heart. An AU ending for Willow and Oz. Oz has left Sunnydale, but another werewolf hits town with sinister intentions and Willow realizes she must deal with even larger consequences from Oz's actions. Completed!
1. More Consequences

Someone was knocking.

Willow rolled over onto her side and stared at the door. "Who is it?" She called out. She wasn't about to invite just anybody in. Not after that deal with Spike.

"It's Zach." A muffled voice responded.

Willow furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone named Zach."

"I'm looking for Oz." The voice said.

Willow's confusion deepened. Oz had been gone for nearly a month now. All of his friends knew he was gone. Plus, Willow knew all of his friends and didn't remember a Zach.

Still, hearing Oz's name, she got up off of her bed and opened the door to her dorm room.

A tall, blond guy with dark brown eyes stared back at her.

"Oz isn't here." Willow informed him.

Zach frowned a little. "Well, where is he?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know."

"When will he be back?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe I can wait here until he comes over?" He suggested.

Willow sighed. "He's out of town. He'll be back. I'm sure of it. But I don't know when."

"And you don't know where he went?" Willow shook her head.

Zach tilted his head as he looked at her. "Your boyfriend left town and he didn't tell you where he was going or when he'd be back? You guys must not have much of a thing."

Willow's eyes narrowed. Who was this guy coming here and talking about her relationship with Oz?

"Who _are_ you?" She demanded.

Zach smiled but there was no warmth in it.

"I'm a boyfriend, too, only a better one. I know how to treat a girl. And my girl didn't go off without letting me know where she'd be." He told her. After a second of thought, he added. "In her own special way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Willow snapped. She was losing patience with this strange young man.

"Oh, you know. A body here. A body there."

Willow didn't want to believe what he was implying. "What?"

"Weres like to do that kind of thing. Like me, she was a Were." He stated simply.

"Wolf?" She asked, her stomach knotting. He nodded.

The only werewolves Willow knew were Oz and. . .

Willow took an involuntary step backwards. Her eyes widened.

"Veruca!" She exclaimed.

Zach's eyes matched hers. "So you knew her? That's good. It'll make this whole thing much easier." 

"What whole thing?" Willow was tired of asking questions and was about ready to slam the door in this creepy guy's face.

"I can't go tracking your boy if he's MIA, but I just got a better idea." His eyes trailed over her body, slowly.

Willow took another step back, and put one hand on the door, ready to slam and lock.

"What do you want?"

The smile that slowly spread over his face left Willow wanting to retreat even further into the safety of her dorm room.

"You."

"Go away!" Willow shouted as she slammed the door in his face. She ran to the phone on the desk and punched in the number where Buffy said she'd be.

"I can see you'll be needing some time with this. We'll talk later." He called out calmly from the other side of the door.

Willow shivered.


	2. The Scooby Meeting

"So this guy knew Veruca?" Buffy asked.

Willow sat on Giles' couch. The gang was all there. After Buffy had come back to the dorm to make sure she was all right, they headed straight for Giles' to discuss this new possible threat.

"Yes. He said he was her boyfriend. Also, he's a Were." Willow told them.

"Aware of what?" Xander asked.

Willow gave him a look. "A Were. As in, a Werewolf."

"Oh." Xander responded sheepishly. "But what does he want with you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He was looking for Oz. Then he said he had a better idea. Something involving me."

"Well, I don't like it." Xander stated firmly.

"Neither do I." Buffy frowned.

Giles adjusted his glasses. "Yes, well, we must use caution if he is a Werewolf. However, if he did not harm or threaten you-"

"He may not have threatened me, exactly, but I don't think he's up to any good. I felt bad evil vibes off of him, you guys."

"I'm-I'm afraid that unless he threatens you in some fashion, there is little we can do about him." Giles stood up and thumbed through a book from one of his shelves. "Did he mention why he was looking for Oz?"

"No." Willow stared down at the floor, willing herself not to cry. Thinking about Oz always brought an onslaught of emotions these days.

"If he was looking for Oz and he claims to be Veruca's boyfriend, then we're probably looking at some sort of revenge scenario." Buffy decided.

"Revenge? But, he doesn't even know Oz! And-And even if he did, he doesn't know what happened." Willow cried.

She felt the fear rising in her. What if Zach tried to hunt Oz down and hurt him? He was a werewolf, too. And Willow knew what could happen when two Weres got together. Violence inevitably ensued.

"Will, he could have found out. People talk." Buffy scooted over next to Willow and put a comforting arm around her friend.

Anya spoke up.

"And if he found out that Oz ripped Veruca's throat out, he'll be hunting Oz down like the animals that they are and tearing him to shreds." She continued, oblivious to her own lack of tact.

"It reminds me of the time this girl asked me to turn her boyfriend into a Hulickas Beast. They're these really nasty creatures who feed on human flesh and-" Anya cut herself off when Xander squeezed her shoulder. "What?" She turned to Xander. He shook his head.

Giles cleared his throat. "Yes, well, um, not to alarm anyone, but. . ." He was skimming through the book.

"Giles, never start news off with the word alarm." Buffy scolded.

"Sorry."

"So what's the alarm?"

"In this book on the condition of Lycanthropy, it states that when a werewolf chooses a mate, they are fiercely protective. If something happens to a werewolf's mate, the wolf will seek out whomever is responsible in order to kill them. Now-Now here is the bad part. . . "

"Bad part?" Xander spoke up. "What do you call a werewolf out for a kill? 'Cause if we're calling that the good part, I'm thinking we should send Will away. Someplace safe. Like, say. . . Terceira."

"Where's Terceira?" Buffy asked.

Xander sat up and pointed at her. "Exactly!" He settled back down next to Anya.

Giles adjusted his glasses as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"The werewolf would only kill the one who had harmed or killed his or her mate. Since the, uh, object of said event is not currently in Sunnydale, he is most likely safe. However. . ." Giles glanced up at Willow was looking fairly unnerved.

"However, if satisfaction in this fashion is not able to be reached, the werewolf may take other measures to ensure revenge. He..." He paused, looking up at Willow.

She couldn't read his face and it bugged her. "He what, Giles?" She prompted.

"He will go after it's mate."

"He'll kill me." Willow said quietly.

"What if he can't find her and decides to go after her friends instead? We could all end up dead!" Anya cried. She sent them each an accusing look. "See what happens when I hang out with humans? I become a meal for other, more adept creatures like vampires and werewolves. I should have never let myself get involved with a human!"

"Ahn, _you're_ human." Xander pointed out. Anya slumped down next to him, pouting.

"Well, we'll just have to make a plan. A plan that ends with me beating him to a bloody-" Buffy was interrupted.

"Uh. That's not quite," Giles started. "That's not quite what I meant. By 'go after' the other's mate. He lures her away in order to punish the killer of his mate and simply uses her as a replacement."

Everyone absorbed this new information.

"How about a new plan? One that ends with me killing him." Buffy decided.

"He steals her away and makes her his mate?" Xander exclaimed. "Okay, that's it!" His voice started rising. "Willow, go pack your bags. Terceira, here you come!"

"Xander." Willow sighed. "It's not like that would ever happen."

She looked at Giles. "I don't see what the problem is. This guy wasn't exactly Mr. Charming. There's just no way I'd fall for him. I love Oz." She stated matter-of-factly. "If that's all he's going to do, then maybe we shouldn't be worrying about him."

"That, uh, may not be quite so easy." Giles' voice was soft. "From what I've been led to understand. Werewolves are notorious for getting what they desire." All eyes turned to Willow.

She stared back a moment. "Wait. That's insane! I don't care what he does, I'm not going to go with some strange guy I don't even know! Stop worrying." She had enough. Standing up, she looked back at Buffy. "I'm going back to the dorm. Are you coming with?"

The others exchanged looks that Willow missed. Finally, Buffy nodded and stood. "Yeah. Let's go. We'll worry about revenge-hungry werewolfies later."


	3. Answer Missed

Nearly 8,000 miles away in Bhutan, a brown haired young man with his red roots starting to show made his way into a nearby shop. Someone had told him the owner might be able to guide him on issues of were-creatures.

The robed, elderly gentleman who hobbled out from behind a curtain, gestured for Oz to have a seat on the floor.

Oz sat. The man stared into Oz's eyes. Neither blinked.

Finally, the man pointed at him. "You are not what you seem. You have spyanki within."

Oz raised an eyebrow, recognizing the Tibetan word for wolf. He didn't respond.

"You come seeking answers." It wasn't a question.

"There is only one answer for you here." The man reached behind his back and pulled out a small, blue stone. He handed it to Oz. "What color does it burn for you?"

He had no idea what the old man was talking about, but he took a stab at it anyway. "Blue."

"No." The man shook his head. "What color?"

Oz stared down at the stone in his hand. It looked blue to him.

"What color?" The man demanded more urgently this time. He reached out and grasped Oz's hand, shaking it violently.

The stone began to burn. Oz nearly dropped it. It took on an odd glow and slowly the blue melted away. The stone was now the color of blood. He looked back up at the man.

"Red."

The man released Oz from his grip and nodded solemnly. "She is in danger of the other spyanki. The blond one. You must do something before it is too late."

Letting the stone drop onto the dirt floor, Oz rose to his feet and turned away. This had been pointless. He would need to head all the way into Tibet to seek answers from the monks he'd learned about during his travels.

He moved for the door, tossing some coins along with four words back at the man before leaving.

"It's already too late."

The man shook his head sadly as Oz departed. "Foolish boy does not understand."

But Oz was already gone.


	4. Questions

Willow looked over her shoulder as she crossed the campus lawn. She was meeting Buffy and Xander at the Bronze, but she wasn't in a big hurry to arrive. She knew Buffy would be busy with Riley and Anya would be all over Xander, as usual. They were all couply and Willow had no one to couple with.

When Oz was there, she would have felt right at home among the couples. But thinking of him only caused a stab of pain deep inside. She felt herself getting teary and wiped at her eyes.

Zach popped out from behind a tree.

She jumped.

He smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you. Here." He handed her a single rose, but she wouldn't take it.

Willow glared. "I know what you're up to and you can forget it! I love Oz only." She told him confidently.

He looked puzzled. "But hasn't he been gone for months now? That's the local buzz anyway."

People were talking about Oz being gone? She didn't like that, but pretended not to be bothered by it. "He's coming back."

"That's not what his roommates say." He said casually, letting the rose slip from his fingers.

Willow watched it fall. "What do you mean?" Why was he talking to Oz's roommates?

"His roommate said he sent for his stuff and wasn't gonna come back."

Willow felt her heart drop. But she shook her head. "I don't believe you. You're just lying because your skanky girlfriend isn't around anymore and you want to blame someone for her ditching you."

He narrowed his eyes on hers. His voice was low. "You and I both know that's not true. He's gonna pay for what he did."

"You stay away from him!" Willow tried to shove her way past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"I'm nowhere near him, now am I?" He asked calmly.

"Let go!" She cried, trying to yank her arm free. But there was no need. He easily let go of her. She glared at him.

"Really, what are your choices here, Willow? That's your name, right? Willow." She didn't respond, so he continued. "He stole my mate. It's only fair that I try to steal his. Hell, you should be thanking me. He's not gonna come back for you anyway."

"Thanking you?" She stared at him, uncomprehending. "If you want a mate, why don't you try dating someone who you like, who actually likes you back. Then you two can fall madly in love and live happily ever after." She gestured with her hands. "That's how it works, you know!"

Zach smirked. "Is it? You don't look like your 'ever after' is in a 'happily' state." He observed, scenting her tears. "In fact, it looks like you've been crying."

Willow's eyes shifted away from his. She clutched her hands together, twisting her fingers nervously.

"See, that's the difference between Oz and I. I never made my girl cry."

"Sure. And you made her so happy, she decided to go after Oz!" She shot back.

Instead of the anger she was expecting, he laughed. Surprised, she glanced at him.

"A Were has needs." He shrugged. "Veruca simply found a way to fulfill hers while I wasn't around."

"I guess that means you did the same thing. Went off and found yourself some girl to be with when she wasn't around to 'fulfill' your needs." She clutched one hand around the other, trying to still the impulse to shake. This guy was scaring her more than she cared to admit.

"I would have. Had there been another Were around. But there wasn't."

"So, you're saying you wouldn't get together with a non-werewolf?" She couldn't help asking.

"Well..." Zach started walking. He smiled as she fell into step beside him. He had peaked her interest. It was an opening he'd been waiting for.

"Being with a human is okay sometimes, but we need a more natural connection. The only way to achieve that is with another Were."

"Natural?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

He looked up ahead as they made their way onto the sidewalk. "Hormones. Weres belong together. Our bodies release stronger chemicals than most humans. Most everything to do with a Were is stronger than human, so our needs are greater. It's why we can only _truly _mate with another Were."

Her confusion showed through before she even spoke. "But..." She trailed off, unable to ask the question. She didn't have to though.

His smile widened. "You and your boy Oz? That kind of mating is fine for fun. But a Were needs something stronger for a _life _mate."

Willow shook her head, denying what he was saying. "That's not true! Giles would have found it somewhere in one of his books."

"I don't know who Giles is, but unless he's got a lot of experience in dealing with various packs of Weres, then I say I out-rank him on this one. Why do you think Veruca and Oz hooked up in the first place? He couldn't avoid the inevitable."

"But if that was inevitable," Willow began, seeing the images of wolf-Oz tearing into wolf-Veruca. She stopped walking and closed her eyes, trying to push them away. "Then what would have happened if you'd come to Sunnydale when Veruca did? Would it just be one, big, happy, Were orgy?"

He stopped and turned to stand front of her, chuckling. "Hardly. Weres don't share nicely. He'd sense she was mine. If he still couldn't control his needs, we would have fought and I would have killed him."

She didn't like hearing this. What if it was all lies? Worse, what if it was wasn't? If the things he was saying were true, it meant that she and Oz might never be able to be together. Not if she could never make him happy, being a mere human. "What about Veruca?"

"You saw her. She was looking to take on the alpha position. Probably, she woulda been cheering your boy on against me because she knew she stood a chance at being the alpha with him. But against me, he would have lost anyway." He said confidently.

The boy was bigger than Oz and slightly more muscular. It was possible he could win in a life and death struggle. Willow hugged her arms around herself.

"Are you cold?" Zach asked, slipping out of his jacket. She shook her head and backed away from him.

"No. No, I'm fine." No way would she fall for that.

"You look cold." He said, coming toward her with his jacket.

She looked over her shoulder and realized they were quite a distance from the dorms. In fact, they were nearer to town then to campus. Suddenly nervous at the whole situation, Willow started to back away.

"Um.. Thanks anyway. I'm fine. I should be going."

He stopped and frowned. "You're scared. Of me?" He tilted his head, giving her an intense stare.

"No!" Her voice was a little louder then she liked. "No." She said slightly calmer and quieter. "I'm not afraid of _you_. I'm just... I have to meet my friends. They're waiting for me."

Zach pulled his jacket back on and looked around. "Well, where are you meeting them?"

Willow wasn't too comfortable telling him, but she couldn't think of a good reason to lie. "The Bronze."

He nodded. "Let me walk you over there."

"I'm a big girl. I can walk myself." She started walking.

He quickly caught up with her. "I know that. But it's not safe out here."

She gave him a strange look. "I'm walking around in the dark with a werewolf who wants to kill my boyfriend. I think I'm already passed my unsafe quota for the night."

"So you _are _afraid of me." He stated. She bit her lip, taking determined steps towards The Bronze.

"You've got no reason to be afraid of me."

She wasn't reassured.

They remind silent the rest of the way to the Bronze. She wasn't about to thank him for walking her, so she just gave a helpless shrug. "Well, we're here. Bye."

Before she could enter, he reached for the door and pulled it open for her. "I know what you think of me, Willow." He spoke quietly. She looked back at him. "But, I'm not the enemy here."

She didn't know what to say to that. She slipped inside and he walked away.

As she spotted Xander, a question nagged at the back of her mind. If Zach was only interested in mating with another werewolf, what did he want with a very human Willow?


	5. Thoughts

"Oh, come on!" Xander exclaimed, his hand slapping down on the grass. "You gotta admit, Buff, if Oz was the loyal, protective type, he wouldn't have taken off in the first place! Not to mention what he did with the female werewolf."

Xander had come over to the UC Sunnydale campus to have a picnic lunch with Buffy and Willow, though Willow was running a bit late after a class.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Giles said werewolves are very protective of their mates. He didn't say anything about loyal. But I still think that Oz is the loyal type. I don't think the whole Veruca thing would have happened if they weren't both werewolfs. And I'm not sure that he left because he wanted to. I think maybe in his mind, he left to protect Willow."

Xander laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right! If I were Oz-" Buffy slammed a bottle of water down on Xander's hand, none-too-gently. "OW! What was that-Uh, Hi Willow! It's a great afternoon, isn't it?" He smiled a little too brightly up at his redheaded friend as he rubbed his hand.

Willow shot him a suspicious look while positioning herself on the grass. "I wouldn't say that, but I'm glad you're in a good mood."

Buffy took a bite of salad and surveyed her friend. "What's wrong, Will?"

Knowing her friends were tiring of her constant depression, she forced a happy look onto her face. "Nothing! So, did you bring some soda, Xand?"

He handed her a Coke. "Hey, you girls in the mood for a hot party this weekend?"

Buffy looked over at him with interest. "You're having a party?"

"_You're_ the college kids. I was kinda hoping you might know where  
the cool one is happening. That way Anya can be happy pretending she's dating a frat boy." 

Willow couldn't help giggling at him. He was relieved to know he could still cause her do that.

"So," Buffy gave her friend a curious smile. "I haven't seen you around much lately, Will. What have you been up to?"

Both she and Xander turned their full attention on Willow. She felt uncomfortable. They wanted to know why she hadn't been around as much lately and she sure didn't want to explain.

"Um.. Well, with all that time you've been spending with Riley, And-And you with Anya, it's no wonder we haven't had much time to hang." She laughed it off and the topic changed to what band would be playing at the Bronze that night.

Willow was only half-involved in the conversation. Her mind kept wandering to exactly what she'd been doing with her time lately.

After all her assurances to her friends that she'd stay far away from Zach, she found herself spending a lot of time around him. Just talking. He kept popping up wherever she happened to be, as if it were planned. He never tried to force her into spending time with him and she always intended to tell him to get lost.

But then he'd ask how she was feeling or mention something about werewolves and she'd find herself, several hours later, reluctantly ending the unscheduled meetings. She told herself it was only happening because she didn't feel she had anyone else she could talk to about Oz anymore.

Buffy and Xander made it clear they were getting annoyed with all of her crying over Oz. Even Anya, Riley and Giles seemed to barely tolerate her mentioning his name.

On the other hand, Zach didn't mind if she talked about Oz. He listened patiently as she told him some of the things she loved most about him and some of the things that upset her most. Like his leaving.

In turn, Zach told her some things about what it was like for him to grow up as a werewolf. He'd been made one at a very young age. Some powerful demon wanted to get back at his family due to an ancient vendetta. The demon placed a curse on their youngest child, which happened to be Zach. The curse of the werewolf. He barely remembered what it was like to be fully human.

His family abandoned him when they learned of his 'condition' and he'd been on his own ever since. He ran with a couple of different werewolf packs in his first few years, but learned he didn't care for that way of life. He didn't want to live fully in the human would, either. He preferred to live alone, with a mate, off on his own. This kind of life pulled Veruca in for a while, but she'd gotten restless.

He allowed her to take a trip that was only supposed to last a few weeks. She hooked up with the band, Shy, as he later found out while trying to track her down. After that, he tracked her to Sunnydale where he learned of her fate.

He listened quietly when Willow told him about what had happened between Veruca and Oz. How hurt she'd been. How she'd almost done a spell. How Veruca had come after her. And how Oz had killed Veruca. She was surprised at Zach's reaction to all of this.

He simply nodded and with a chuckle added, "That sounds like Veruca all right. She liked trouble." Willow was amazed at how understanding Zach was turning out to be. She decided to chalk up their initial encounters to his being hurt by Veruca and nothing more then angry rantings. Even though something deep inside told her she should be scared and staying away from him, she ignored it. Clearly, he was a reasonable, intelligent guy who wasn't about to go on a killing spree or anything.

Willow leaned back on her hand and smiled at her friends, finally focusing back in on their conversation.

In the distance, Zach leaned his weight against a tree, watching the redhead with her two companions. She was starting to trust him. That's all he needed. He didn't want to destroy _everyone's _world. Just one person's. His attraction to Willow was growing stronger every time he saw her, which made his need to destroy Oz's world that much sweeter. He would win Willow's loyalty, he was sure of it. And if that plan failed, it didn't matter._ It's a shame, really, _he thought as he watched her smile sweetly at her friends, _but I'll have my revenge. Even if I have to hurt Willow to do it. She'll thank me in the end._


	6. Warning Signs

"Hello, Willow!" The friendly voice rang out and she turned to greet him with a wry smile.

"Hi, Zach!" She felt comfortable with him after all of the time they've spent talking. She also happened to know that Buffy was busy patrolling tonight and Xander was at the movies with Anya. So there were no worries about running into them.

Zach slid into a chair across from her at the Expresso Pump. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, I-" Someone cut into her end of the conversation.

"Willow!" An urgent, British someone. She groaned inwardly. "Giles?" She turned around to see him giving her a slight frown and waving at her.

"I'll... I'll be right back." She told Zach and hopped up, hurrying over to Giles.

"What!" She asked defensively, folding her arms over her chest. "We were just talking!"

Giles looked at her blankly. Then he remembered why he was here. "Where is Buffy? I-I've been trying to contact her all evening."

"Buffy?" Willow stared back, relieved when she realized that Giles didn't know what Zach looked like. For all he knew, the guy she was sipping mochas with was just a friend from school.

"She's patrolling. I think Riley might have gone with her. Why? Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Uh..." He hesitated. "Well, there might be a problem, however, you needn't be alarmed. Go on back to you're, ah, mocha." He said glancing over at Zach. Willow blushed.

"Do you need help? I can help you find Buffy. Or-Or do research." She offered, feeling guilty for all of the time she was spending away from the regular Scooby Gang meetings.

"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you." He left hastily, leaving Willow mentally shrugging.

"What was that about?" Zach asked with a frown.

Willow sat back down and shook her head. "He's just looking for my friend, Buffy."

Zach nodded, and Willow missed the slight shadow that cast itself across his face at the mention of her best friend. He didn't let on, but he knew all about Buffy Summers. She was a Slayer. Someone who wouldn't accept his way of life without causing problems.

"So," He changed the topic. "Didn't you have an exam today? How did that go?"

Willow smiled. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She didn't see the anger in Zach anymore. He really seemed like a nice guy. She thought he genuinely wanted to be her friend. What could be wrong with that?

* * *

_News_

"Buffy!" Giles called out, pulling up to his fourth cemetery of the night and stumbling awkwardly out of his car. She was twirling a stake in one hand and dropped it as Giles approached.

"Giles? What's up?"

"I-I'm afraid there have been some reports of maulings in the area."

Buffy frowned deeply. "You mean like animals or..."

He shook his head. "Two separate incidents. A man and woman have disappeared in the last week only to turn up mauled to death in the woods."

"I wonder who's wanting to increase my workload." She responded slowly, thinking that over. "Let's see, it's not a vampire's style to maul, so I think we know who our suspect is."

"Now, we can't be certain, Buffy."

"Giles! Maulings just after a werewolf appears in town?"

"You may have a point."

"Looks like me and wolfie need to get formally introduced."

* * *

_UPDATE: I am so sorry to everyone who has been reading my stories and waiting eagerly for the next chapter! I ended up moving and lost Internet for a while, but am finally back, so the next chapter will be coming along soon. FINALLY! _

_Thanks for all the great feedback guys! I really appreciate it and hope I'm not leaving you hanging for too long. Sometimes it may take me a while to get a new chapter up, but I promise it will come. :)_


	7. Farther Away

A room of robed, bald-headed men might make the average person uncomfortable. But Oz appeared relaxed as he sat on a mat within the group. They were meditating. He'd only been in Tibet a short time, but already he was learning a lot.

His eyes closed, and focused on calling out to the darkness that lived within him, the wolf. The monks, particularly Llama Aghaje, tried to teach Oz that he would never have full control over his wolf side. That he must work with the wolf, learn to be a team within himself. The monks taught him he must learn to come to a sort of peace about being a werewolf in order to gain the upper hand and to truly be happy.

There was no full moon, yet he was expected to allow the wolf some freedom. He may have looked calm, but he was more than a little worried. The monks refused his pleas of allowing him a cage, in case the wolf did emerge. They were unafraid of this possibility and he had to respect them for that.

After a while, he felt something. The darkness. It was touching him. Or was he touching it? He stiffened.

Llama Aghaje opened his eyes, peering over at Oz. The other monks remained in their meditative states.

Reminding himself that the darkness was a part of who he was, he forced his fears aside and allowed the darkness to reach him. He started breathing heavily, blackness filling his irises, the rage of a predator stirring to the surface.

An unaccounted for breeze swept cautiously through the room. Collectively, the monks breathed in and out with a depth beyond mere lung capacity.

With great effort, Oz willfully permitted a certain knowledge to enter his thoughts. For all the time he'd been a werewolf, he always mentally, and whenever possible, physically, ran to escape from the wolf.

He could no longer do that if he expected to accomplish anything. He was the wolf and he needed to accept that. So he stayed with the feelings. He stayed with the wolf. The hunger of the hunter knawing at him in a new way.

Fur broke out over his skin, his teeth grew and sharpened, as did his sudden claws. He panted. The monks continued to breathe in a unique way, as if the breaths were one.

Oz felt more than ever, the needs of the wolf. The to play, to hunt, to kill and to mate. It's world was limited, as was it's understanding. It seemed aware of this more complex, human side to it's existence, but it didn't acknowledge Oz.

Oz fell over onto his side as his bones began to shift, his body changing to suit the wolf. He heard Llama Aghaje whisper nearby. "You and the wolf are one. He cannot force you anymore than you can force him."

This calmed him. For reasons he would never be able to explain, he and the wolf, as one, made a decision. The changes started to reverse. The wolf form began to retract, making room for Oz once more. The fur receded beneath the skin.

Looking very much human again, he slowly pulled himself to a sitting position and looked over at Llama Aghaje. The only sign that anything was different, were his eyes. The green was back, but there was a dark, black ring around the green.

It was progress. Almost a compromise. The wolf within, allowing the human within to emerge with the understanding that he would be allowed some privileges of his own.

The monks were a peaceful people who were against killing other creatures. He knew it saddened them to hear what he had to say and that he would have to leave the monastery if he followed his instincts, but he had little choice now.

Even Llama Aghaje knew this as he bid farewell to his new friend later that evening. A backpack slung over his shoulder, Oz offered a slight smile before turning and heading for the mountains. The mountains lead him farther away from civilization. Farther away from human contact. Farther away from Willow.

He murmured quietly as he left, knowing he would never allow the wolf to go after a human again if he had anything to say about it.

"Tonight, I hunt."

* * *

_Thank you to all of you for your patience with me! Again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this story moving along. _


	8. Feeling Bewildered

"So, Giles had this chainsaw and-" Willow made a swooping motion with her hands, showing how Giles had once literally sliced through a house to make a door. She and Zach laughed.

"Sounds like a fun guy."

"Oh, he's a party and a half." Willow joked.

The two were walking. Something they often did these days. Willow almost expected him to show up out of the blue any time she was walking alone. She was rarely disappointed.

He was walking her back to her dorm room from this magick shop she'd just come from. She carried a small bag.

Zach jerked his thumb at the bag. "What's in that? Are you planning some kind of spell?" He was aware of her being a witch. She'd told him quite a bit about that.

She smiled and shook her head. "This is just some more anti-vampire goodies. Sure, Giles would prefer if we hand made them all, but since I live with Buffy, we always seem to be short on supplies. This is just easier."

Willow revealed quite a bit about her group of friends. He knew they fought evil, often vampires. But she had yet to actually come out and say her friend Buffy was a vampire slayer.

"Oh? Why would living with Buffy make you short on supplies?"

Willow glanced at him before looking ahead. "She's just... Well, it's kinda her job to keep evil under control around here." She shrugged.

"Sunnydale does seem to be pretty active with the evil, but why would it be her job to deal with it?"

Willow had never told anyone that Buffy was the vampire slayer without Buffy's or Giles' okay first. She didn't think she should start now. "Oh, you know, she's just very much the go-getter. She feels it's her duty to keep people safe." This wasn't exactly a lie.

Zach nodded as they approached campus. His glance slid over her. "You spend an awful lot of time helping your friends rid the world of evil. It can't be done. Not completely, you know. You should make more time for fun and relaxation."

She sighed. "But we can put a dent in it. Help people. Helping people makes me happy. Besides, I have plenty of fun and relaxation!"

"Every time I see you, you seem to be doing something to help someone_ else _out. Why don't you do something just for you?" He asked quietly.

She didn't know what to make of that. "What do you think I should be doing?"

Zach didn't answer right away. He stopped just short of entering the building leading to Willow's dorm room and turned to face her.

"Getting over... Certain things, for instance."

She looked at him with disapproval. Willow knew just what he was talking about now. "I told you, he's coming back!" She defended.

His saddened expression made her feel suddenly bad. "Well...H-He might!" Uncertainty was thick in her voice.

"Willow, nobody should tell you how to live your life, but, waiting around, putting your life on hold for someone who took off and left you when you needed him most doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It's not fair to you."

She let Zach's words sink in. He was right. She didn't want to admit. Not even to herself. But he was right. She loved Oz with every fiber of her being, but he'd left. He hadn't made any concrete promises to come back. Not even for her.

Surely, Oz loved her. He said he did. But she had her doubts at times. Like now. If he loved her so deeply, why did he cheat on her with Veruca? Why did he leave? Why did he not even contact her? And why hadn't he come back?

Willow began to tear up, something that hadn't happened for a while. She brought her arm over her face, wiping the sleeve across her eyes. She sniffled.

"I'm sorry." Zach said sincerely. Willow began crying in earnest. She'd lost Oz and he wasn't coming back. She shook with sobs.

Zach's arms went around her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Willow. I shoulda kept my mouth shut. I didn't mean to upset you."

She clung to him, her tears wetting the shoulder of his shirt. After a few minutes, she calmed down, her tears ending. She pushed him gently away.

"It's not your fault." She looked into his eyes, knowing he understood. It felt good to have someone who did. Oz used to... She forced that thought away.

"You're only trying to be a good friend." She told him. They looked at each other a long moment. Zach seemed to lean closer to her. Did he want to kiss her? Her eyes widened and she quickly turned, reaching for the door.

"Uh...I better go. Buffy's waiting for me. I told her I'd only be gone a few minutes." She thought she heard Zach sigh.

"Yeah... I'll be seeing you." He responded, watching her fumble with the door handle. He reached over and turned it, pushing the door open for her.

"Thanks. Bye, Zach." She waved a little before going inside.

Zach was a nice guy, no matter what her first impressions had been, she thought as she made her way up to her room. She felt a heavy burden of grief at the realization that Oz would not be coming back for her.

But now her feelings were more on the side of confusing. Did Zach like her? Certainly, he didn't want to be with her in the romantic sense. He wanted to be with another Were. But at times she thought he must be attracted to her. She caught him looking at her in certain ways that told her he might think of her as more than a friend.

But if it were true, what about her? Did she think of him as more than a friend? She hadn't wanted him to kiss her. Or had she? She entered her dorm room, upset and confused. But she forced a smile into place for Buffy.

* * *

_The next chapter will be coming soon! _


	9. Riley

"Nice gun, soldier."

Riley spun around and took aim. He quickly lowered the gun and smiled. "Buffy!" He moved forward, giving her a quick kiss hello.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked. "It's a little late for patrolling, isn't it?"

"Maulings. You?"

"Checking out a new vampire sect." He pointed to a house in a very suburban looking neighborhood across the street. "Looks like they've infiltrated a family's home."

Buffy eyed the house. "Want company?" He nodded and they quietly approached the house.

There were loud screams coming from inside. Buffy quickly raised a foot to kick the door in, but stopped when it opened.

A dark haired vampire in full game face stared at her. "Aw, man, it's the slayer!" He hollered back to someone.

Buffy shoved a stake into his heart and walked through the cloud of dust with Riley right on her heels. They surveyed the scene before them.

Five vampires lounging around in front of a TV. Screams came from a woman on the screen, running from some creature through the night.

A vampire laying back on a futon glared at Buffy. "She staked Dave! Now who's gonna take care of the satellite bill? There's no way I'm going back to cable!"

"Where's the family?" Riley demanded, raising a weapon. "What did you do to them?"

"What family?" One of the vampires asked, looking confused.

"The family who lived in this house!"

"Dude, this is our house. We pay rent. What do you think, we're some kind of animals or something?"

Another vampire let out a sound of disgust. "You humans! Just because a demon feeds off of you, you think you're so much better than us!"

Buffy rolled her eyes at Riley and walked back out the door. He stayed a minute, looking embarrassed. "Uh..." Finally he took off after Buffy.

"I guess the lead I thought I had was...Not." Riley's cheeks were red. "But you're a slayer, aren't you going to, you know, slay them?"

"Nah. Looks like the most damage they'll be up to tonight is wasting time watching bad movies. They can wait. I've got more important things to take care of."

"Like maulings?"

"Yeah. Have you heard anything about those?"

"As a matter of fact." He pulled a notebook out from under his jacket, flipped it open, and handed it over.

Buffy skimmed it and looked up at him, wide eyed. "Is this true?"

"Yes. It's Initiative documentation. It just happened tonight."

Buffy tossed the notebook back at him and marched away.

"Buffy! Where are you going?" He called after her.

"I have to find Willow. _Now_!"

* * *

_Sorry this is such a short chapter. The next one will be coming quickly. :)_


	10. A Problem

The door to the dorm room flew open. Willow gasped, jumping to her feet and knocking over the chair she'd been sitting in.

She turned around to face whomever or whatever had invaded the room. "Oh, Buffy! You scared me!" Her hand went to her chest as she took in a deep breath of relief. She was about to smile, but Buffy looked really intense.

"Buffy?"

"Will, you remember that strange guy you were talking about. What was his name?"

Willow looked confused.

"The werewolf. Uh, Zeke?" Buffy asked.

Willow blinked. "Zach?"

"Yeah. Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore."

Willow scowled. "What do you mean?"

"I ran into Riley and he showed me actual documented proof from the Initiative, that they picked up a werewolf earlier tonight. I rushed right over to tell you. I knew you'd be relieved."

Willow drew in a sharp breath. "What?" She looked distracted. "I...I what are they going to do to him?"

Buffy frowned. Willow sounded almost worried about this Zach guy. "Well, the paper I saw had the word 'experimentation' on it. After what they did to Spike, I don't think Zach is gonna be a threat anymore. Not that he ever was since you never heard from him again."

Willow didn't respond. She hurriedly started putting on some shoes.

Buffy's frown deepened. "You didn't hear from him again. Right?"

"Uh... "

"And what was he doing out being all wolfie anyway? The full moon isn't for two more nights!"

"Some werewolves have a lot more control over it than..." Willow paused, leaving Oz's name unspoken. "Buffy, we have to save him!" Willow stood. "Zach's not like Spike. Yeah, he's a werewolf, but he's also very human. We can't let them hurt him!"

Buffy had the feeling there was way more going on here than she knew about. "You might be right..." She said slowly. "But let's go talk to Giles first, and see what he thinks."

"You go." Willow said, ushering Buffy out the door and walking into the hallway with her. "Fill Giles in on what's going on. I-I have something to do first."

Before Buffy could respond, Willow was already hurrying off to her mysterious errand. Buffy stared after her.


	11. A Good Time to Panic!

Willow made her way into an old apartment building on the other side of town. In all their conversations, Zach had inadvertently let it slip about which apartment complex he was living in. She doubted he was here, but she had to see for herself. He'd told her a week before that he wasn't wolfing out and hunting here in Sunnydale. If he was captured by the Initiative, that meant he was also a liar.

He hadn't given her his apartment number, but she easily hacked her way to it through one of the school's computers. She stood before apartment number 113. She hesitated briefly before knocking.

The door slowly opened and a sleepy-eyed Zach stared out at her. His eyes quickly cleared as astonishment replaced any exhaustion he might have felt.

"Willow!" He stepped out of his apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Zach! I thought..." She sighed relief. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, glancing around nervously.

"I heard that this... Group of people caught a werewolf tonight and I thought it might be you." She didn't want to get into details about the Initiative.

Zach's eyes darkened. "What group of people?"

Willow was relieved that he wasn't angry at her suspicion. How could she doubt his word like that? She silently scolded herself. Zach wasn't the enemy. He was a good friend! "Just... A group. But-But I was wrong, since, see?" She smiled, patting his arm. "You're okay! And don't worry about that other werewolf. My friends and I will be rescuing him soon!"

He didn't look happy. "Yeah. Look, Willow, you've gotta do me a favor."

Her smile faded. "Is something wrong?"

"This group of people, whoever they are, stay away from them." He was staring at her so intensely that she felt uncomfortable.

"Why?"

"Just do it. Please?"

Not for the first time, Willow didn't know what to make of Zach.

"I can't promise that, Zach. I have to help. It's what I do!"

"You've gotta stop this, Willow. This helping everyone. If you keep this up, you could end up hurt or worse!"

"It's nice that you care, Zach, but I'm not going to change my life around just because you're worried."

It was more than that for Zach. He feared this other werewolf might very well be the infamous Oz. He didn't mind a fight, but merely killing the guy wasn't good enough. If Zach didn't start to exact his revenge before Oz showed up, he might never get his chance!

Willow was still talking. "I'm glad you're okay, but I need to go help my friends rescue this other werewolf." She started to leave, but Zach grabbed her arm.

She frowned at him. "Zach," She tried to pull free. "I have to go."

He held her arm firmly with one hand, lightly pushing his door back open with the other. Willow was about to lecture him on crossing over from worry to pushy, but when she looked into his eyes, the sudden coldness in them stopped her dead in her tracks. "Z-Zach?"

When he spoke, his voice was equally cold. "You're not going anywhere, Willow."


	12. Busy Scoobies

"So, the, uh, werewolf, Zach, is in the custody of the Initiative and Willow proposed that he be retrieved?" Giles questioned as Xander and Anya burst into the room.

"Did we miss anything?" Xander asked, bright eyed.

Giles sighed. Nobody ever bothered to knock. He repeated his question to Buffy, for Xander and Anya's benefit.

"I wouldn't say proposed so much as she _demanded_ that we rescue him." Buffy stood, arms crossed, in Giles' living room.

"Why would she do that?" Xander had an arm hooked around Anya's shoulders.

Anya huffed. "Who cares?" She glared at Giles and Buffy. "You pulled us out of bed for this!"

"Uh... Yeah, 'cause sleep. You know, we need plenty of that." Xander added in a hurry.

Anya looked at him blankly. "What are you talking about? We were in bed naked, having sex. We were just about to-"

"Ah...Heh..." Xander's face was red as he tugged on Anya's shoulder, bringing her closer. "We don't need to share, honey."

Giles looked away. "Yes, well, perhaps we should consider helping this young man. Willow is correct in as much as he is human and in spite of his being a werewolf, certainly he does not deserve the treatment the Initiative offers to it's prisoners."

"Isn't it a military facility? You can't just barge in and grab him." Xander responded, relieved to have something other than his sex life to talk about.

"That's why you'll be good to have along. I might need someone else with a military background. Also, I've already talked to Riley about this. He's having trouble seeing our side of things. He's only seen a werewolf in wolf form so it's hard for him to understand how human they are, but..." She shifted from one foot to the other. "I think he'll come around and help us out."

"So, we're waiting on Riley?" Xander looked annoyed. "Great. What are we supposed to do in the mean time?"

"No, Xander. We're heading over there right now. He knows we're coming."

"Smart move, Buff. What if he decides to turn us in?"

"He won't turn us in."

"But if he does?"

"Then I'll have to switch tactics."

"I hope those tactics involve ass kicking." But Buffy didn't respond. Instead, she turned to Giles.

"We're going to need weapons. Just in case..."

"Of course." He helped the gang load up on weapons.

"Shouldn't we wait for Willow?" Anya broke into the silence. "I mean, if we're going into a dangerous place because she told us to do so, I really think she should have to risk death and torture in front of me!"

Everyone sent looks her way. "She's already too involved." Buffy finally said, loading a tranq gun. "Giles, if she shows up, stall her. She's too emotionally involved for this. Maybe because of Oz, maybe it's something else..."

Giles nodded. "I will do my best to pursuade her. I may simply find plenty of things here to keep her busy."

"Good." Buffy, Xander, and Anya finished loading up on weapons before heading out.

"And we're off to save a werewolf from an underground military operation. This should go well." Xander commented as he followed Buffy and Anya out the door.

A nervous Giles was left behind. Since this was her idea, it was possible Willow would come by. But Willow was known to allow her passion for helping others to overcome her judgement and she might already have left to go to the Initiative to help save the werewolf. Giles tried not to worry too much. If this was the case, Buffy and the others would soon be there to help her.


	13. Oz's Revelations

Oz impassively stared down at the corpse. He noted that most of it was missing. The parts that were left were small and barely recognizable. He could tell his wolf side was excited by the sight. But everything human in him was unnerved by it.

He sighed heavily and stepped over the corpse, taking purposeful steps away from it. Whether he liked it or not, he knew it was an evil necessity, if he ever wanted to have control over his life again.

He figured the remains of what was left of corpse were most likely that of a weasel. He'd found himself facing similar corpses since his decision over a week before, to allow the wolf to hunt at night. He did find some peace in feeling his wolf side now understood this would be allowed. No more forceful chains and cages as long as the wolf within agreed not to bite, maul, or kill human beings.

He also made it understood to himself that these night hunts would be made less and less until they were almost always only when the pull of the moon was strongest. For the three natural days of the werewolf, which were around the time of the full moon.

This hunting every night for small prey stuff wouldn't, and couldn't last. He was only doing it to learn how to accept his wolf side, to bring himself peace, and to gain the cooperation within, that he needed to ensure safety for all. Well, except for the occasional weasel, mole, or other poor little animal victim he might catch while in wolf form.

He was disturbed, rather then pleased, by other happenings within himself. That he was now constantly aware of the wolf, didn't make him feel terribly comfortable. He was also having conscious memories of the hunts he was partaking in. He knew his clear, green eyes had a darker, blacker ring around them that would be obvious to people who looked closely enough. His physique was about the same, but he felt more powerful. He'd become aware of his ability to use the wolf's strength while not in wolf form. It was one of the few things about all of this, that he'd been happy to discover.

But disturbed or not, he knew this was all a natural process that he must endure. For himself. For others. For his loved ones. Especially _the_ loved one. Willow. Thinking of her, he stopped walking.

He closed his eyes, picturing her in his mind. He could never rid himself of the images of his last moments with her. The tears streaking down her face, her fearing his not loving her, her not wanting him to leave. Watching her heart be broken. Because of him. The pain he'd caused her played out again in his mind. Each event felt like someone took a steak knife and jabbed it directly into his heart.

There was nothing he could do to change those events. He even considered never returning to Sunnydale again. Willow would be better off without him. Surely, she'd moved on with her life by now. She was a very beautiful, intelligent person who didn't need more pain. But he was working hard to become a better man. Not just for himself. For her.

He knew he couldn't control the wolf. But he could make certain that the wolf never hurt anyone again by accepting he and the wolf were one. He felt strong now. Confident that although he had a lot of work ahead of him, he and his wolf side were learning to get along well enough that control wouldn't be something he'd have to worry about anymore.

Once he was certain he could work fluidly with the wolf, he would return to Sunnydale. Willow might have moved on, but he had to let her know he still loved her. Always would. And he had changed. He needed her to know how very much he wanted to be the kind of man she deserved. If, after everything, she wouldn't have him, he'd be devastated. But he would walk away quietly and give her the peace and happiness she deserved.

Oz hadn't run into too many people in the mountains. Most were travelers who didn't care to interact. But now he saw a small family making their way. A mother, a father, and a little girl of about six years of age.

Oz nodded and smiled at them as they passed. The little girl stopped, staring. She stood stiffly frozen for a time. Oz watched her, wondering. She slowly shook herself and ran over to Oz, surprising him. She tugged on his arm. He gave her a quizzical look.

"No! Bad way! Bad way!" She cried, trying to pull him in the direction her family was heading. Oz flashed her family a confused look.

The father shrugged as the mother ran over and tried to pull the little girl away from him. She spoke something in Tibetan to her daughter before switching to English. "Leave the nice young man alone! I am sorry. She is an odd child. She has these visions..." She tried to explain to Oz, as her daughter clung to him. Obviously, the girl's father couldn't care less and her mother was embarrassed by these 'visions' of hers.

An empathetic look in place, Oz let them know he wasn't upset by any of this. "Not a problem. Really." The little girl was still trying to pull him.

Her mother spoke again. "Nyika! Come! Leave the man alone." The girl resisted her mother, looking at Oz with large, imploring eyes.

"It's okay." Oz kneeled down in front of Nyika. "Why is it a bad way?" He asked her gently.

She pointed in the direction he was heading. "Not your way!" She spoke with a thick accent. At least she was able to speak some English. "You go home!" She told Oz urgently. "The magic girl, the witch. She's scared! Needs you now!"

"Willow?" Oz murmured, utterly confused. Still, his heart started racing.

"Go home!" The girl repeated.

"Why does she need me?" Oz asked sharply.

"Nyika!" Her father yelled. Her mother yanked her away from Oz, mumbling another apology.

"He hurts her!" Nyika called back her answer as she was led away by her mother. Oz stayed on his knees while the family disappeared from his sight.

His heart pounding, Oz forced himself to his feet. He had no clue how the little girl might know these things, but there must be some truth in them. How else could she know about there being a witch back home. A witch who was scared and needing him. Willow. He didn't know why she might be needing him so desperately now that a strange little girl even felt or saw something about it, but he didn't care. Who was this _'he'_ who might be hurting her? Whatever was going on, Oz fully intended to do everything in his power to make sure the woman who owned his heart was safe.

He knew he wasn't confident enough in his abilities to handle the wolf to feel it was the safest and best decision to return home yet. But Willow needed him. Nothing else mattered. He started to run. 


	14. Revenge

"Let go of me!" Willow was scared now. This wasn't just Zach worried for her safety anymore.

He gave her an almost apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Before she could respond, he yanked her rather roughly into his apartment, slamming the door shut and twisting the lock. Willow pulled with all of her might, wrenching her arm free of his grasp. He blocked her exit to the door.

She was going to ask him what he was doing, but as she glanced around the small apartment, something came alarmingly into her field a vision.

"Oh, my God!" Willow put a hand over her mouth, trying not to gag. A corpse lay, rotting in a corner. It was only half a torso, as the rest was completely missing. But it was definitely human.

"Now you know one of my little secrets." He shrugged, knowing it was too late to hide anything from her now. She tried to rush him to get to the door.

He shoved her back, hard, causing her to land flat on the floor. Coincidentally, just a few feet from the corpse. She stared up at Zach, horror written all over her face.

"But-But you said you wouldn't wolf out. You..." She didn't know what to say. How was she going to get out of here? Her mind was frantic for answers.

Zach watched her indifferently. "No, I didn't. I said I wouldn't wolf out at night. I didn't say anything about the daytime. I wolf out during the day, grab a meal when I need one, and try to get rid of the evidence." He smirked. "I guess I haven't been too good at that last part, huh?"

Willow wanted to throw up. "You're a murderer!" She accused, angrily climbing to her feet.

Zach approached her, causing her to back away. "A murderer? No. I'm merely a hunter. Do you convict a shark who kills a grouper? Do you jail a tiger that rips into an antelope? It's all about nature, Willow. There's nothing wrong with what I've done."

Willow shook her head. How could she be so stupid? Why had she ever trusted this guy! "If you don't see a difference..." She just didn't even know what to say to that. Someone who couldn't see the difference between an animal's need to kill to survive, and killing a human for pleasure, probably wasn't someone she could reason with.

"But you seemed so willing and eager to have your ex-werewolf boyfriend come back to town after he killed someone. Why do you have a problem with _me_ killing?"

"First of all, there are some big differences here. Like Oz didn't _want_ to kill anyone! But you seem to enjoy it! Secondly, Oz didn't force me into his apartment and lock me in like some prisoner! I still don't understand Zach... Why are you _doing _this?" Willow was near tears.

He ignored what she was saying about the differences between himself and Oz. Oz wasn't a true werewolf in Zach's eyes. Oz didn't have enough experience and he wanted to avoid the hunt. The hunt was what it was all about. But Willow was human and couldn't understand this.

"You know why." He said calmly, approaching her, backing her into a bedroom. "You've always known. I want my revenge."

Willow felt the backs of her knees against something soft, and glanced back to see a bed. This was not a situation she wanted to be in. At all.

"I-I'm a witch! Remember? I can do a spell!" She warned.

He snickered. "Oh? And what do you plan on doing to me, exactly? Stake me with a pencil?" She had told him about that. He knew her powers were growing, but she could hardly cause any damage to him.

But Willow suddenly had another idea. Her eyes lit up and she began to chant.

"Goddess Hecate, work thy will.

Before thee let the unclean thing crawl!"

She watched Zach hopefully. He stared back at her, unaffected. Why hadn't he changed! He gave her another hard shove, landing her square on the bed. She tried to get back up, but he loomed over her, so she rolled off to the side and stood, backing up against a window. Maybe it would be her escape.

"I don't know what little spell you just tried on me, but I guess you aren't too great as a witch." He watched her flip around and try to open the window. He crossed his arms and looked smug. Willow soon found out why. The window had been plastered shut. She turned, facing him fearfully.

She tried a new tactic. "Zach, I thought you were my friend!" She let the tears spill down her face.

Zach frowned. Was he feeling bad for what he was doing? "I'm sorry, Willow." He sighed. "I _do_ care about you. Really, I do. I was hoping I might be able to win you over with my charm. But there's no more time for that."

"I don't understand!" She choked out, rubbing her tears away. "Time for what? What is your revenge?" She remembered what Giles said and looked over at the bed, then back at him. "You want to...Mate with me!" She looked incredulous. "But you don't even like humans. You said you could only truly be with another werewolf!"

Zach handed her a tissue, which she refused as a matter of defiance. He stuffed it into a pocket and stood in front of her. "You think I'm gonna..." He chuckled. "No. Not that I would mind." He added thoughtfully. "You're very attractive. For a human."

Willow was up against the window, wondering if there might be a way to break it and climb out. But she was on the second floor. That might not work out too well.

"But, that's what werewolves do to get revenge!" She protested. Wait, why protest such a thing? She sure didn't want to sleep with Zach! She clamped her mouth shut.

"Oh, Willow, you underestimate me if you think that stealing some other guy's girl for a fling would ever give me peace of mind about my Veruca's death." The look he gave her was reproachful. "That's not the only way to get revenge. I may be a werewolf, but as you have pointed out time and again, I also have a very human side. One that's looking forward to causing Oz a lot of pain."

Willow's hands clutched at the window behind her.

Zach stepped forward, inches away from her.

"What do you want!" She cried, tears streaming down her face. She was up against the window in a way that suggested she thought she might be able to meld herself to it.

"I told you that before, too. You. I want you, Willow. Not for a night of fun, but for a lifetime. The only way I can get that is by force. But I have no problem with that."

He placed a hand on the wall next to the window, as Willow's head leaned back against the it. He was really crowding her now.

"You'd force me to...What?" She was confused.

"I want you for my mate, but for a lifetime. The only way to get that, is to give you the same curse I have." He watched her eyes widen to impossible depths.

"What? NO!" She shoved him as hard as she could. He grabbed her arm and tossed her far too easily onto the bed. She saw now that his hands had turned to claws. He still looked human, but with extra hair, claws, darker eyes and... Fangs.

Willow screamed.


	15. The Initiative

"Xander!" Buffy stared. "Where did you get that?" She asked, eyeing his Initiative uniform.

Xander grinned. "Well, you gotta know your way around military operations. You know, the codes, the lingo, the maneuvers."

"And how to borrow." Anya piped up. "Riley gave it to him."

Buffy laughed. Riley sidled up to the gang hanging outside of a secret entrance into the Initiative. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" He asked anxiously.

"Of course! Just because he's part killer beast, doesn't mean he should be a prisoner for the Initiative and their experiments!" Buffy noticed how he frowned at this. It was hard for him to believe the Initiative could do any wrong.

"Killer beast?" Riley sent her an odd look. "I got a glimpse of this Were and I wouldn't exactly call it a killer. In fact, the Initiative now believes the creature had little or nothing to do with the recent maulings."

"Killer beast, no killer beast, who cares? Can we hurry up so that Xander and I can go back home and finish having sex?" Anya cut in.

Buffy turned serious and raised her weapon, but Riley stopped her. "I can get you in, you don't need that. In fact, I doubt you'll have much resistance at all."

Buffy didn't buy it, but she nodded, lowering her weapon. They followed Riley who used his identification and pass to enter. It was easy to walk by quite a few people without any problems because both he and Xander were in uniform. Though they did get some looks because of Buffy and Anya.

"Riley, man, you're not supposed to bring girls in here!" A guy passing by shook his head and gave Riley a sly grin as they passed him.

"So far, so good. Where are they holding him?" Buffy asked, looking very cautious. She looked like someone who expected to be attacked at any second.

Riley led the small group down a flight of stairs and into an open area. He brought them to a door and ran his card through to get it to open. It opened without a problem.

They entered the room and faced a cage. The door behind them slammed shut, sealing them inside. "That's just a precaution in case the Were escapes the cage." Riley assured them.

Buffy approached the cage and peered in. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw. "I don't believe it!"


	16. An Incredibly Short Journey

Oz feared what might happen to Willow if his journey back to the states took too long. He knew the quickest, most conventional means of travel was by plane. But the nearest airport was a good few hours away by vehicle. And he was on foot.

He had no choice but to turn to more creative means of travel. He ran as fast as he could, returning to a nearby village. His only hope was that the village's hermit was as good with the magicks as was rumored.

He approached the small hut, located on the outskirts of the village, and knocked.

A very annoyed looking older gentleman answered. He was wearing torn, dirty clothing and from the smell, probably hadn't had a bath in quite a while.

He shook his head, ready to slam the door in Oz's face. "No strangers allowed." But Oz grabbed the door and gave him a pleading look.

"I need to get to Sunnydale, California immediately. Someone may be in danger and I have to make sure she's safe."

The man left the door open and walked back in, without inviting Oz. "You have something to offer for what it is you are asking?" He grumpily asked.

Oz tentatively stepped inside. The smell was overpowering. Not just the hermit, but the chemicals from chemicals and spells he must have been working on. The place looked a mess, with papers and bottles full of things Oz didn't recognize, strewn all over the place.

"What would you like?" Oz dug into his pockets, pulling out the only money he had. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be enough.

The man waved the money away. "I do not want your money. I want something of true value."

Oz thought while he watched the hermit pulling together ingredients and mixing them in a small, black pot. He pulled a charm bracelet the monks had given him out and tried to hand it over.

Again, the hermit waved the offer away. "This is not of the value I am looking for."

"What is it you want?" The normally calm and patient Oz was getting anxious. He knew the longer this took, the more the possibility of helping Willow dwindled.

"Your shoes, your socks, and your jacket." The hermit responded without hesitation. He added some herbs to the mixture in the pot and a small burst of light emitted from it.

Oz's brows drew together. What an odd request! But it seemed a cheap price to pay for a magical trip back to Sunnydale. He removed his jacket, socks and shoes and set them down beside the hermit.

Oz was now barefoot, wearing a simple T-shirt and pants. But the hermit seemed happy. The hermit finished off his potion and Oz reached for it. The hermit batted his hand away.

"This is not for you, boy." He turned to face him. "Teleportation requires energy, not potions! Now, stand still and know this is a one way ticket only." He warned.

Oz nodded. The man closed his eyes, concentrating. He murmured some chant Oz couldn't quite make out. Suddenly, Oz was surrounded by a white light. It was so bright, he couldn't see. Then he felt himself being pulled.

It was a mighty strong pull, at that. It felt like his insides were being yanked out of his body, and he couldn't breathe. When he finally took a breath, he found himself laying on the ground.

He looked around. He was in downtown Sunnydale! He shook off the pain from the instantaneous journey and jumped up. There was no time to waste. He didn't know where Willow might be, and he strongly felt he had no time to ask around. So, he knew he would have to track her down with his wolf senses.

He started to run again, taking deep whiffs of the air around him, trying to smell the familiar scent of Willow. She could be anywhere. He didn't know what sort of danger she might be in, but he hoped he would find her in time!


	17. Pain

"Shhh..." Zach soothed. Though there was hardly a thing soothing about him. He climbed onto the bed on his knees and roughly grabbed Willow's arms. "This doesn't have to be terribly painful, Willow." He breathed heavily in their struggle. He got on top of her, straddling her so she couldn't struggle quite so much.

"Get off of me!" Willow screamed at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best apartment building around, and Zach's neighbors were used to noise and violence. So her screams were ignored.

"No. Now, I can make this easy for you." He explained while she fought him. "A simple nip at your wrist and it'll all be over with. I promise." She tried to kick him off of her, but failed. This just angered him more. "But if you continue to fight me on this, I'll make it even more painful! Don't make me do that, Willow."

Willow twisted violently beneath him, trying to escape. There was no way she would make this easy for him. She glared up at him. "Go to hell!"

He sighed sadly. "You insist on making this difficult for yourself, I see. Very well."

Without further warning, he leaned down and sank his teeth into the flesh of Willow's arm, just below her elbow.

She yelped, tears streaming, as he tore into her arm. He wanted to cause her pain! He yanked his teeth out, pulling a good chunk of her skin along with them.

He slid off of her, sitting to the side, but still on the bed, watching her.

Willow first saw her own blood trickling from the corner of Zach's mouth. She glanced at her wounded arm in disbelief. She tucked her arm against her stomach, folding the other protectively across it. Then she curled up into a ball, escaping into shock.

Zach wished he could have made Willow fall for him. He really wanted to persuade her to join him of her own free will, but the truth was, he _had_ enjoyed biting her. He didn't feel too guilty about it. She would be his now. He didn't mind that she would fight him. It would be exciting to force her into submission. He watched her with a satisfied look on his face.

* * *


	18. The Rescue

Oz had run nearly all over Sunnydale. It wasn't a large town, but it was difficult to go the whole route on foot. Especially barefoot. But, finally, he found her trail. He traced her steps from the college dorms over to the other side of town.

He stood in front of a large, run down apartment complex. He breathed in deeply, suddenly very concerned. Here he scented not only Willow, but her fear. She was scared.

He charged into the building and followed the trail of her fear up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. He stood in front of apartment number 113. She was in there. And she wasn't alone. He could smell someone else. More than that, this someone else was very much a werewolf. He recognized the strong odor and it terrified him. Not for himself, but for Willow. Why would there be another werewolf in Sunnydale? And why would Willow be with him? Another odor hit him and he nearly vomited. It was the smell of death.

There was a slight chance that he was wrong. What if he broke down the door and she ended up being all right? She probably already hated him, and he couldn't blame her. He might be making a fool of himself, but what else could he do? He decided to risk it.

He took a deep breath and kicked the door in with all of his might.

Willow flinched at the sound, but remained curled up. Zach, on the other hand, moved. He jumped to his feet and spun to face the intruder. He'd been too busy enjoying his triumph to sense the presence of another wolf.

Oz was already standing in the bedroom doorway. He'd seen the corpse in the living room and moved quickly past it in search of Willow.

He saw the scene before him and wanted to scream out for all he was worth. Willow lay, curled in a tight ball on a bed. He couldn't see her face, but he could smell blood. It was hers. "What the hell did you _do_ to her?" He growled.

Zach smiled like a child who got away with something. "I just gave her a very special gift. So, you're Oz." He didn't look impressed. "I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing your girl on_ my _arm." He looked far too confident for his own good.

Oz's hands were clutched in tight fists. He wanted to pound on the guy, whoever he was, but Willow was hurt. He rushed to move past Zach and get to Willow, but Zach stepped in his way. "Oh, no, you don't. You'll be staying away from her from now on. She's _mine_."

Zach was already partially changed into a wolf. Oz knew he could never fight him without changing. But he didn't have nearly that much control, to only partially change. He understood well enough that this other werewolf wasn't about to let this go. They would fight. There was no way around it. He did his best to have an inner dialogue with the wolf within and prayed that this worked.

Willow needed him and nobody was going to keep him from her. Least of all this guy who was trying to claim her. Willow wasn't someone to be claimed. She was better than that.

"Willow, run!" He commanded, not knowing if she could. He changed right then and there. Fur sprung up all over his body, his bones started breaking, cracking and changing to suit the wolf. His eyes filled with full darkness.

Zach snarled. He watched Oz turn fully into the wolf and matched him, taking on his own wolf form, a dark brown fur, right after. Wolf Oz didn't wait for wolf Zach's full transformation before pouncing. He loped forward, slashing into his arm with sharp claws.

Willow didn't move. In the back of her mind, she could have sworn she heard Oz, but that couldn't be true. He was never coming back. He didn't love her anymore. She knew Zach was fighting with someone or something and silently hoped one of them would tear her to shreds. She didn't want to live. Not as a werewolf. She'd seen how it was for Oz and she didn't think she could handle that. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

Wolf Zach's own claw ripped across wolf Oz's belly, causing him to whine. Wolf Oz reacted by charging wolf Zach and knocking him across the room. Wolf Zach scrambled to his paws and growled, ramming into wolf Oz and knocking him into a wall. He tried to bite wolf Oz's neck.

Zach the human and Zach the wolf were both larger and more powerful than Oz the human and Oz the wolf. But Oz was working as one within himself much better these days. And there was something else Zach hadn't taken into account.

He'd had his share of girlfriends over the years, but he was too much the animal to understand what truly loving someone meant. He underestimated just how much strength Oz drew from his love for Willow.

Just when it seemed Oz was doomed, something happened.

Willow, in both physical and emotional pain, whimpered. It was barely audible, and if not for their wolf senses, neither werewolf would have heard it. But it was heard, and it was a whimper full of hurt and need. Willow was scared and she was hurting. She needed help. It was all Oz, wolf and human, needed to hear.

Drawing power from this in a way even human Oz couldn't define, wolf Oz threw his head back and gave a thunderous howl. He dove forward, driving wolf Zach off of him and slamming him into the floor. He hopped up fully on top of him. His teeth ripped into wolf Zach's shoulder.

Zach cried out in pain, quickly turning into his human form and staring up at wolf Oz. "You wouldn't hurt another human, would you? Your precious Willow will tell you that even though I'm a Were, I'm a human, too. Just like you. You plan to kill another human being? Like you did Veruca?" He asked, his chest constricted from wolf Oz being on it. He held a hand over his torn shoulder.

Wolf Oz stared down at the boy. The wolf in him didn't care about anything other then shredding him to death. But Oz did. He hated him. It would be far too easy to kill the boy. He wanted to. All he had to do was give in and let the wolf destroy the pathetic creature beneath him. And he'd hurt Willow, which gave him a great reason for doing so.

But Oz had left because he'd killed. He'd left and found not only that he could work as one with his wolf side, but that what separated him from his wolf side was that he _could _take pleasure in killing and it was wrong.

He'd made it perfectly clear that he could easily kill Zach. He hoped he could be strong enough to complete what he needed to do next.

He closed his eyes and forced the wolf down. He felt his body changing, but held his own amidst the pain. He changed back into his human form and got quickly up. He grabbed Zach by the neck and arm and yanked him toward the front door. "You're getting out of Sunnydale. _Now!_ If you don't, I _will_ finish what we started here." He threatened.

Naked, and admittedly humiliated by this defeat, Zach nodded. He didn't wait to get kicked out, he pulled away from Oz and unlocked the front door. But he turned back with a smile that caused Oz to have to fight the wolf inside for control.

"At least I did get my revenge. Your girl, she's gonna suffer just like you and me now." He slipped out the door and ran into the night. At least it was night. Not many people around. He could steal someone's clothes before leaving town.

Oz watched him go, fighting down the urge to go after him and put a final end to the guy. His senses reminded him of Willow and he flew back into the bedroom, kneeling down on the floor next to the bed where she lay. He studied her face.

Her eyes were closed. Her face streaked with tears. His eyes traveled down to her arms, hugging herself. He saw the blood there. Zach had bitten her. He wanted to run after him and tear his throat out. But that wouldn't fix anything.

"Will?" He whispered, reaching a shaky hand out to brush the hair gently away from her face.

It sounded like Oz. So much like him. She forced her eyes to open through the pain and saw a much loved and much concerned face staring back at her. But it couldn't be. And there was something different about him. "O-Oz?"

"It's me." He confirmed, letting his hand drop from her hair and onto her arm. He tried to pull it free of her injured arm so he could see, but she quickly yanked it away from him and sat up.

Loss of blood made her woozy, but she tried to stand up anyway. He attempted to help her, but she pulled free of him. "You're not here!" She accused. "You're not real! You can't be, you left me."

Oz swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Willow." He tried to move toward her again.

She shook her head and took a step back, ignoring the dizziness. "Where's Zach?"

A hint of a frown fluttered over Oz's features. "The other werewolf? We kinda fought and he left."

"Fought?" She stared.

"Yeah. Will, you're hurt." He gestured to her blood soaked clothes and arm.

She looked down at her arm, then back up at him. "Oh yeah? Well...Well, so are you! And you're naked!"

Oz grabbed a sheet from the bed and quickly wrapped it around his waist, tying it off. The claw marks on his stomach weren't too bad. They'd already stopped bleeding. Willow's arm, on the other hand, was still very wet with blood.

"Let me see?" He asked, taking a slow step in her direction.

"No! Why are you here? How did you get here? And why do you look like that!" She saw the difference, especially in his eyes, and it scared her.

"Willow, I'll tell you everything you want to know, but please, you need to get that arm looked at."

Fresh tears filled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Oz! Nobody can help me now. I'm gonna be a werewolf. A werewolf!" She choked out, the tears spilling. "A-And you left me! And some people said you didn't love me anymore! And even my friends said I should move on! And Zach came and scared me, and Giles said werewolves would get revenge for their mates being killed and Veruca was Zach's mate!" She was losing it now. Her heartbreak was clear for anyone to see. "And I was so scared he would hurt you, but you weren't here so he came after me and..." She started sobbing uncontrollably, sinking to the floor.

If anything ever broke Oz, this was it. His own eyes filled. It felt like his heart would explode from his chest. He knelt down on the floor and gently wrapped his arms around Willow, pulling her against him.

He breathed in her scent. It felt incredible to be holding her in his arms again, but nothing ever hurt this much before. "I'm sorry, Will. I'm so sorry." He murmured, gently rocking her. They stayed like that a long time. He held her and let her cry for as long as she needed.

"Oz?" Willow said at last, pulling away and looking at him.

"Yes?" He looked back, unreadable as always. But inside he was a pool of emotions.

"Why are you back?"

At least, this was an easy one for him to answer. "You."

"Me?" She appeared perplexed. "Why would you be back because of me?"

"Heard you needed me, so here I am." He reached again for her arm. This time, she let him take it.

He inspected the wound and got up, grabbing the nearest item, a pillow case. He knelt back down and carefully wrapped the bite mark.

"Who told you I needed you?"

"Nyika." He supplied the little girl's name. Willow was more than a teeny bit confused, but let the questions go for now.

"Oz, I-I don't want to be a werewolf."

He gazed thoughtfully into her eyes. He reached a hand up and ever-so-gently his fingertips grazed her tearstained cheek. "Then you won't be. I'll take care of it." He promised. She looked at him with trusting eyes, but they both knew he couldn't make such promises. It was only to make her feel better. And it did.

But he couldn't stand seeing her suffer so. The thought of her being a werewolf killed him. He couldn't let it happen. He had to do something. He just didn't know what.

He stood and helped her to her feet. "Let's get you out of here."

She allowed him to help her to her feet and looked at the bedroom door. "I'm really not looking forward to going past that...That thing. We need to go see Giles and tell him everything."

Oz nodded. He opened his hand, palm up, and moved it in her direction with a question in his eyes.

Willow wasn't sure what to think about Oz being here. She was still dealing with what happened with Zach and being bitten. But she did need comfort and it sure was nice to have Oz near again, even if there were some definite changes in him.

She slipped her hand into his. He grasped hers firmly before they walked out of the apartment together.

* * *

_The next chapter shall come soon... _


	19. A Discovery!

Holding something in her arms, Buffy plopped down on Giles' couch and yawned. Riley had left after walking them back to Giles'.

Xander and Anya stood just inside the doorway. "Well, that was a pointless and stupid mission." Xander complained. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Yes, you are. But I am the one who should be! I told you to ignore the phone, but you wouldn't and now, instead of copulating, we are still stuck here with this dull middle-aged man, a vampire slayer who is slaying nothing, and that ugly creature!" Anya scolded Xander.

"Yes, what_ is _that?" Giles asked, staring at the creature Buffy was cradling.

"It's a Werekitty. Only not. And he's not ugly!" Buffy shot Anya a defensive look.

Giles looked baffled. The creature did look like a kitten, only slightly larger and dark red. "A-A Werekitten?"

"Yeah, only not."

"Buffy, would you please be so kind as to explain yourself?" Giles pushed his glasses back and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily.

"Well, when it's not looking like a mutant kitty, 'hewoo Mr. Mootint kiddy widdy!'" Buffy interrupted herself to tickle the creature under it's chin. "When it's not a kitty, it's a giant gold fish. So, either a kitty bit a fish. Or a fish bit a kitty." Buffy shrugged. "Either way, our big, bad Were creature turned out to be a little, cuddly mutant kitten-fish."

"Yeah," Add Xander. "When we got there, it was this big, red goldfish just flopping around in a small tank. Then it flopped right on out and transformed into this thing."

The big, weird looking, but still kinda cute kitten purred.

"Turns out, the Initiative has been doing some experimenting on crossbreeding and this little guy is one of the results. He had gotten loose, but was captured and that's what the report was about."

"So, the, uh, Initiative's report was inaccurate in describing this...Thing, as a Were creature." Giles sighed. "Well, it does tell us something. We must use further caution in dealing with the Initiative. Their agenda is somewhat worrisome." Giles frowned at the kitten.

"Well, I can't keep it. Mom won't even let me keep a regular kitten and this guy's almost as big as a dog. Do you want it?" Buffy asked.

Giles held up a hand. "That-that thing? No, though it doesn't appear to be harmful. Set it free." He didn't want to touch it. "It won't do any harm and I feel rather uncomfortable with it in my home."

Buffy giggled.

Just then the door burst open and in walked Willow and a half-naked Oz. Everyone gaped at them.

Buffy jumped up, letting the odd kitten leap from her lap and skitter out of the room. Giles didn't look too happy about that. But he, too, focused on Willow and Oz.

"Willow! Are you okay?" Buffy asked her friend, first because of Oz's sudden appearance, then when she noticed the makeshift bandage on her arm.

Willow refused to cry even though she was feeling like she very easily could again. Buffy and Oz helped her over to the couch. "I'm okay." Her voice wobbled a bit. "It was Zach. He tricked me and bit me!" She blurted out.

"What?" Xander looked alarmed. "That _bastard_! Where is he!" He turned to march out, but Oz spoke up.

"Don't. He's gone." Not that Xander could have done anything to the werewolf.

"Gone?" Giles got the first aid kit and pulled the pillowcase from Willow's arm.

"Oz wolfed out, so did Zach, they fought and Oz got the upper hand. So he told Zach to leave town." Willow answered. She had gotten that much from Oz on their walk back to Giles'. He'd also explained to her about the little girl, Nyika and the hermit. So she knew how he'd gotten there, even though it still made little sense. This was Sunnydale though, so weird and unexplainable were pretty much the norm.

Oz had told her a bit about his travels and his understanding of the wolf, but he didn't dwell on it due to her own current condition.

"Oh." Buffy gave Oz a surprised look. "Well, good for Oz. Zach's one less problem to worry about then."

Anya folded her arms. "Good for Oz? But he left Willow a blubbering mess and just when she seemed to be doing better, this Zach beast showed up and by the time Oz came back, Zach had already bitten Willow. Look at her arm, it's a mess! So now she'll be a werewolf, just like her boyfriend. You'd think it would be easy enough for you people to stay human! I sure can't seem to stop being human! And believe me, I have tried!" Xander grabbed her arm to shut her up.

Oz sat next to Willow and Buffy moved into a chair across from them.

"Are you in need of assistance?" Giles asked Oz, pointing to the claw marks on his belly. Oz shook his head. "I'm fine." He just wanted Willow to be okay.

Giles dabbed at Willow's wound with some antibiotic. "Is this the first, uh, occurrence of this nature?" He questioned Willow.

"What? No, I mean... I have run into Zach on a few occasions."

"Willow!" Buffy and Xander both snapped at her.

"Well, but, he seemed so nice!" Her face flamed. Not only did she feel stupid for ever believing he could be a real friend, but now Oz knew she'd been hanging out with another guy. A werewolf guy. On purpose. She didn't look at Oz.

"He's bitten you before?" Giles' voice raised an octave.

"No! I just mean, you know, we hung out. But no, tonight was the first time he bit me. And he had a... Well, he's responsible for the maulings." She shuddered, thinking about the body in Zach's apartment.

Giles jumped up and ran from the room.

Everyone looked at each other. "What was _that _about?" Xander asked no one in particular.

"Good question." Buffy stared after Giles. "I haven't seen him move that fast since he was being chased by four vampires at once!"

Oz took Willow's arm and gently finished cleaning and bandaging it. He did linger briefly on the thought of Willow spending time with Zach. He was a little jealous, but he knew he had no right to be after everything he put her through.

A few minutes later, Giles returned, carrying a book. Buffy stood up. "What's with the hyper, Giles?"

"Willow says she was only just bitten tonight and something occurred to me." He flipped a page in the book and read something to himself, an intense look on his face. "I remember finding a footnote a few years ago while researching lyncanthropy after we discovered Oz's condition." Everyone listened.

"It states that once bitten, a human has a vulnerable period between the time they are bitten and the time of their first change, before the condition takes it's full effect. Once that happens, there is no way to reverse it." He looked up apologetically at Oz. "I-I, didn't feel it was necessary to mention this before as you had already experienced your first change." In other words, it had been too late for Oz. But maybe not for Willow.

Oz jumped to his feet at this. "Is there a way to reverse it before her first change?" He asked, his eyes moving back to Willow, who was staring down at her arm.

"Now, that, I haven't researched quite so thoroughly. There hadn't been reason to do so..." Until now. Giles silently cursed himself for not being more thorough when he first found out Oz was a werewolf.

"Then let's get crackin' with the books." Xander sounded almost cheerful.

Buffy tried to join in. "Did Xander just suggest research? Okay, now I've heard everything."

Willow managed a weak smile for their efforts.

"Tomorrow night is the night before the full moon. Willow's first change will occur then. So we must act quickly." Giles cautioned.

Everyone nodded. It would be a long night.


	20. A Dangerous Solution

"Aaah!" Willow flung another book onto the floor, winning her a pained look from Giles. "I'm sorry, but there's just nothing! Every book is different, and none are telling us anything!"

"But I did find that cool book on recipes to appease the Were on wolfie nights." Xander supplied. Willow glared. Any ability she had to laugh went out the window hours before. It was nearing dawn.

The group was sitting around Giles' living room, books piled all over the place. Oz sat silently beside Willow. He sent a sympathetic look her way before returning to a book he held. He wanted to reassure her, but they needed answers. At least they'd hooked him up with some clothes. Oz had on a fresh pair of dark blue pants and a matching shirt.

"We mustn't lose hope, Willow." Giles pulled open another book, reading over it's contents. "The answer exists somewhere, we simply need to locate it."

"Yeah, what he said." Buffy piped in.

Willow sighed loudly. "I know. It's just..." She ran her fingers lightly over the bandage on her arm. Her eyes filled with tears and she got up, hurrying from the room.

Oz wasn't sure he should be the one to go after Willow. After all, just because he was back, didn't mean he was _back_. But turning into a werewolf was something he knew a lot about, so, he got up. "I'll check on her." He left the room.

The others stared sadly after before turning back to the books. But Xander looked at Anya. She was staring off into space. "Ahn, you okay?"

"What?" Anya had to drag her thoughts back to her boyfriend.

"You're being awfully quiet. You haven't mentioned sex in hours."

"I think Willow is right. These books are useless." She tossed the one from her lap aside. "We have to think bigger."

"You mean, like, globally?" Buffy asked, looking over at Anya with interest.

"No, I mean bigger. Like demons and hell dimensions."

"Anya, what do demons and hell dimensions have to do with Willow's... Situation?" Giles patiently prompted.

"I once met a half demon-half human who sent his slave to go through a ritual for him to cleanse him of his unwanted half."

"Are you suggesting this ritual that helped to purge this man of his demon burden, may be used to somehow purge the wolf from Willow?" Giles asked, peering over his book at Anya.

Anya shook her head. "No, the demon purged himself of his human side." Everyone stared at her strangely, not that she cared. "The only reason it worked, was because someone cursed him with humanity, but even though he knew his blood held the curse of the human, he hadn't yet transformed."

"Why hadn't he transformed?"

"Because his pull was this world. He liked to travel between here and his dimension, but he knew if he returned to this world with the curse, the transformation would complete itself and his human side would emerge. Then it would be too late for him to use the ritual to cleanse himself of humanity."

"Could he purge himself of his demon side and take on the human side fully?" Xander asked.

"Only if he had been born human and cursed with demon blood."

"Oh!" Buffy looked excited as this idea sank in. "For the demon, our world was like what the full moon is for Willow."

"Exactly. Too bad we don't have a slave who we can sacrifice for the ritual. We may have to settle for O-"

"Sacrifice?" Giles interrupted. "Do you mean whomever completes the ritual must die?" Giles asked, dismayed.

"They don't_ have_ to die, but that's what always happens..."

"Then that idea's out." Xander grumbled.

"Wait. I'm a slayer. Why can't I do this ritual, whatever it is, for Willow?"

"It has to be completed by someone who shares the same curse." Anya explained patiently.

"Do you mean the demon's slave held the same curse as he?" Giles asked curiously.

"Yes, but only because the demon gave it to him so he could complete the ritual."

"Sounds like a great guy." Xander shook his head. "But what about Oz?"

"What about him?" Buffy muttered, upset that she couldn't help her friend.

"He has the same curse as Willow."

"But that could very well kill him." Giles pointed out. "It is out of the question."

Anya sat up a little straighter. "Why is it out of the question? Let the short werewolf sacrifice himself for the woman he loves. If I were cursed, I would expect Xander to do the ritual for me."

"Yeah!" Xander sounded agitated about Oz. Then he realized what Anya just said. "What!" He stared.

"What?" Anya stared back.

"You'd expect me to sacrifice myself just to get rid of some curse?"

"Of course." She said matter-of-factly. "But I would mourn for you and bury you in your place of choice."

Xander raised a finger up, pointed it at her and was about to respond back with some angry retort, but Giles cut in before he had the chance.

"We haven't time for this." Giles was losing his patience. "If we don't find an answer soon, I'm afraid Willow may very well have to suffer the same fate as Oz!"

_Outside_

Oz found Willow standing alone in Giles' backyard. She was staring over at the nearly full moon. It was barely visible due to the nearing sunrise. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she didn't react to Oz's presence.

He moved up beside her, looking from her to the moon. Neither spoke for the longest of moments.

"Oz?" They both still stared up at the moon. "What happens if we don't find a way to reverse this?" She sounded so lost. It really broke Oz's heart all over again.

"We will." He stated firmly.

"But what if we don't?" Her eyes drew away from the moon and landed on his face. She could very well be angry with him, yell, scream, shout, blame him for leaving in the first place. But she didn't want to hurt him. She saw he had enough guilt already.

"Then... We'll deal."

"We?"

"Yes, _we_."

"How?"

"By taking one moment at a time."

"Oz, I'm scared."

He finally turned to face her, looking into her large, frightened eyes. He reached over and took her hand in between both of his, rubbing it comfortingly. "I know. You don't have to be. I won't let this happen to you. I'll figure something out." He sounded so resolute that Willow almost believed him.

"I wish you could help stop this, Oz. But I think I'm doomed." She stared down at her hand caught between his. It felt soft, warm, good. She wanted to believe he could make everything better, but she knew he couldn't.

"You're not doomed." _Not on my watch_, Oz thought.

Willow didn't want him to let go of her hand, but she knew the longer they stayed out here, the less time they would have to find an answer to her problem. "Why don't you head back inside?"

A questioning look fell into place as Oz stayed put. Willow recognized it immediately. "I-I'm okay. I'm coming right in, I promise."

Oz seemed to scrutinize her response before reacting. He finally nodded and headed back inside, leaving Willow to turn and stare at the moon once more before the sun came up.

_Inside_

_"If we don't find an answer soon, I'm afraid Willow may very well have to suffer the same fate as Oz."_

"No, she won't."

Everyone looked up, startled. Nobody realized Oz was standing there. He'd heard enough of their conversation.

"Oz! What are you-" He interrupted Buffy.

"I want to do the ritual." He spoke directly to Anya.

"Okay, if you don't mind dying a horribly painful death."

"Nobody has ever survived it, Oz." Buffy pointed out. "We'll just have to find another way."

"No." Oz walked fully into the room. "There's no time. I have to do this."

"We cannot allow you to-" But Oz cut Giles off, too.

"I don't need your permission." He didn't say it rudely, but he did say it with determination.

"Oz, give me one good reason why we should let you go off and risk your life like this?" Buffy asked, standing up and facing him.

He moved forward, standing right in front of Buffy. He opened his eyes rather wide, staring at her, letting her see the darkened edges around the green.

"She isn't going to become _this_, Buffy. Do you really want to stand in my way?"

Buffy stared. She knew all about sacrifice and hard decisions. She considered Oz a decent person most of the time and didn't want to see him get hurt or killed. But she could see he wasn't about to back down from this. She stepped back. "No. I'm really not."

A scream rang through the air and everyone jumped. Willow ran into the room like something was chasing her. It was. The kitten-fish was hot on her trail.

Oz strategically placed himself between Willow and the creature, whatever it was. But Buffy giggled.

She walked over to it and picked it up. It meowed at her. "What are you doing, Mr. Mootint Kitty?" She'd resorted to baby talk again. She turned to face a still guarded Oz and a very confused Willow.

"Sorry, Will. This little guy, okay, big guy, got away from me earlier. He's just an Initiative experiment. Poor little kitten-fish." She sat down, plopping it in her lap and rubbing it's belly. It purred contentedly.

"Kitten-fish? I thought maybe it was some type of cat demon, how dark red it is and all." Willow was relieved though. She tentatively approached the kitten and patted it on it's head.

"I-I guess it_ is_ kinda cute." She said, sitting down beside Buffy.

Anya rolled her eyes. "It's a mutant. Mutants aren't cute. Except for Natuski Demons. They're a cross breed that has the most beautifully colored feathers and fur the world has ever known."

Xander laughed. "Feathers _and _fur? I'd like to see that!"

"No, you wouldn't. The females eat the males after mating with them."

"Oh."

Giles knew the group needed to joke a little to relieve tension, but they still have a heavy problem to deal with. "Oz, are you certain you want to do this?"

Oz turned to Giles. "Positive." He affirmed.

Giles sighed. "Very well. Anya, how does one go about beginning the ritual?"

"We'll need to do a spell summoning a creature known as the Casso. He can teleport Oz to where he needs to be to begin the ritual."

"Do you need us to go pick up some ingredients for the spell?" Xander asked.

"No, I don't believe so." Giles began, heading into the kitchen. "I am quite certain I have an ample supply on hand."

"Should I get some weapons together for Oz?" Buffy looked over at the weapons' chest.

"He won't be allowed to take any with him." Anya explained. "He must use only what he has within himself to complete the ritual."

Willow stared around at her friends, then back at Oz. "Okay, I'm confused. What ritual? What am I missing here?"

Anya explained the ritual to Willow.

"No!" She scrambled to her feet. "Oz, you can't do this. I won't let you. You heard her, you won't come back from it!"

Oz knew she would put up the most resistance. "I have to, Will."

"No, no, you don't! You can just say no and-and we can find another answer. I know we just have to research harder. That's all!"

He frowned. "I'm doing the ritual, Willow."

She glared. "No. You. Are. _Not_! I won't let you die for me, Oz. It's not worth it. I-I'd rather learn to live as a werewolf than to be responsible for your death!"

He knew none of this would have happened to her if it wasn't for him. "_I'm_ responsible. For everything. I'm going to fix this."

"You're not responsible for what Zach did. Yeah, you left, and you really, really hurt me, Oz." He flinched. "But, you can't help it that Veruca had a boyfriend she didn't bother to mention or that he's a werewolf that wanted revenge. He's responsible for his own actions."

"It doesn't matter." Oz waved this off. "You're still facing the consequences, and I can't let that happen."

"You don't get to die for me, Oz."

"I might not die."

"But you could! I won't let you do it." She said firmly.

"You don't have a choice."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Why?"

He didn't know quite how to tell her that he knew what it was like to be a werewolf, and he'd rather die than to watch her go through what he went through. "Because it's_ my _choice."

"It's your choice to go off and get hurt or-or killed, just to keep me from being a werewolf!"

"Yes."

"Why, Oz? _Why_?"

He turned away from her and headed toward the kitchen, signaling the end of the discussion with the best reason he had to give her. "Because you're worth it."


	21. Interruptions

"Why can't I do the ritual myself?" Willow demanded of Anya, getting in her face.

"Calm down, Will." Buffy came up behind them. She let the kitten-fish down, and it wandered into the kitchen. It got a look of disgust from Giles as it curled up in a corner and fell asleep.

Back in the livingroom things were getting pretty heated.

"It's impossible." Anya shook her head.

"Willow-" Buffy began.

"No, I want an answer!" She looked about ready to strangle Anya with her bare hands. How dare she suggest such a ritual within Oz's earshot!

Anya heaved a great sigh. "Because the ritual was designed by demons who didn't want to have to face difficult and deadly rituals themselves. The demons wouldn't want their slaves to be cured, only themselves. So the ritual must be completed by someone other than the inflicted person."

Willow stomped her foot. "I can't stand this!"

Buffy placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Willow, I can understand why Oz wants to do this. I don't think you can stop him, but we can be supportive."

She turned to face Buffy. "I know he's trying to help, but I can't stand by and watch him kill himself for me!"

Xander stood up, stretching. "Willow, the guy's lived as a werewolf for years, if he thinks it's so bad that risking death is better than you dealing with it, I think you should kinda follow his lead on this one. Besides, like Anya said earlier, he took off and left you. I know he had his reasons, maybe some good ones, but he hasn't exactly been here for you, so I don't think you should-"

Willow marched over to Xander and shoved him back onto the couch. He gave her a shocked look, followed by an apologetic one. But she wasn't through. "Xander Harris, you don't know what you're talking about and you had better-"

Xander held up a hand. "I'm sorry. You're right! It's none of my business." He did his best to keep his mouth shut. But the more he thought about things, the angrier he got. No matter what happened, Willow would suffer. She and Buffy were his best friends in the world. He didn't like to see them hurting.

If the ritual didn't happen, Willow would be a werewolf. He'd have to watch her go through the pain and horror of changing every month and all of the other side effects he saw Oz go through. But if Oz completed the ritual, he would probably die, leaving Willow more shattered and heartbroken. It seemed like a no win situation.

Then an idea started to form in his mind. A wonderfully horrible idea.

He watched Willow and Buffy trail into the kitchen to help gather the ingredients for the spell. Anya was about to join them, but Xander jumped up and held her back by a hand on her arm.

"Xander, you had your chance last night, but now you will have to wait until we finish helping your friends-"

"No, that's not what I'm wanting," He stopped her. "It's just, these slaves, they didn't _want_ to do the ritual, did they? They had to be forced?"

Anya was baffled. "Of course. Why?"

He pulled her aside and whispered his idea. "But I think I need Buffy for this one."

She nodded and grinned. "My smart, sexy-"

"Hey, Buff, can I talk to you a sec?" Xander pulled her out of the kitchen before she could respond. He quickly explained his idea, watching as her eyes grew wide.

"Xander, I'm not sure-" But he stopped her.

"Buffy, it's right. Do you really wanna watch Willow suffer more?" He demanded.

She looked away, thinking with a tight frown. "No. Let's go."

Xander walked over to Anya.

"Just stall as much as you can and tell the others we stepped out for some fresh air and..." He looked at his watch. "Bagels. Yep, the bakery should be open." He kissed her and headed out the door with Buffy.

Anya sighed loudly and rubbed her hands together.

"Where did Buffy and Xander go off to?" Giles asked, entering the living room with Oz, and carrying incense and other ingredients.

"Oh, they went for bagels."

"Bagels? But we have to do this spell, why would they-" Giles sighed. Leave it to Xander to pick such a time to crave breakfast.

"Bagels are good. They can be buttery and warm. Do you have a problem with bagels?" Anya asked nervously.

Giles frowned. "No, I like bagels. Just odd timing is all. You'd think they could wait until after Casso takes Oz."

"You'd think who could wait?" Willow asked as she brought the rest of the ingredients into the living room.

"Buffy and Xander went for a bagel run." Oz spoke up, unreadable as ever.

"Wait!" Anya cried. "Uh...I have to go to the bathroom. And-And there are some other ingredients we will need. Important ingredients that we must have, Giles!"

"What ingredients?" Giles asked, but Anya was already down the hall and in the bathroom.

Willow and Oz looked at each other awkwardly.

Giles watched them, wishing he had gone with Xander.

* * *


	22. The Summoning What a Let Down!

A warm body hit the ground with a loud thud. Two grunts followed. Xander grabbed at Zach's legs to try to keep him from using them to fight off Buffy. The slayer sure knew how to tackle! "You get all wolfie on me and I'll get to see what silver looks like when it's crushed into your skull, kay?" Buffy warned the boy cheerfully. No need to tell Zach that the girl had never killed a human being before. As far as he knew, she was the bad ass slayer who would slay anything or one who got in her way.

"Yeah! That's right! And I'll get to have fun watching you wake up dead in the pet cemetary!" Xander tried to add his own awesome comeback but when both Zach and Buffy looked at him, he shrugged. "It sounded better in my head."

Buffy turned her attention back to Zach, whom she had pinned to the dirt outside of the Sunnydale bus depot. "Now you listen to me. There's a ritual that can save Willow and you're gonna do it." Zach growled and tried to throw the blonde's weight off of his body, but she drove her fist into his face. His head snapped painfully against the ground. Already in pain from the beating Oz had dealt him, he wasn't in a big hurry to fight off someone even stronger.

"Ritual?" He finally snarled.

"Yes. It involves someone called the Casso and is very dangerous. Oh well." Xander threw in, making it clear he could care less if Zach was hurt at all.

Zach glared up at them. "I could die! I won't do it."

Xander reached down to help Buffy restrain Zach and pull him to his feet. He was also careful to keep a box of donuts and bagels tucked under one arm. "Yes, that's just one of the perks!" He sounded very happy with the idea. "The important part will be Willow being un-cursed."

Buffy had a death-grip on Zach. He wasn't about to go anywhere any time soon even as he was pulled up off the ground. They started half-dragging him back towards Giles' place. "What's that smell?!" Zach demanded, looking at Xander accusingly. "It smells like...Chocolate?"

"It's all part of my celebrating your evil butt's demise. You can't expect me to watch you taken off to die without my sugar fix, can you?" Again things stopped for a moment as both Zach and Buffy gave Xander looks.

When the door to Giles' was flung open a while later, things were tense inside. Willow was pacing slightly, upset at what Oz was about to do. Giles was frantically trying to get Anya to tell him the final ingredient so that they could complete the ritual. Only Oz looked relax. He sat in a chair, the kitten-fish in his lap.

But even he looked stunned at what Buffy and Xander were dragging into the house.

"B-Buffy what is this?!" Demanded Giles. Anya smiled brightly and held out some mandrake root. "This is what we need. We're ready." She tossed the root into the pentagram they had drawn on the floor.

"It was Xander's idea." She said as if she were a child being scolded by a parent. "But I agree with it. Zach is the one who did this to Willow. He should be the one to finish it."

Giles' eyes widened, a spark filling the tired eyes. "Yes! That...That is correct that Zach is the one who cursed Willow. Therefore he, too, shares her curse. Hurry Anya." He said, grabbing hold of Zach's free and flailing arm to help Buffy and Xander drag him into the center of the pentagram. Buffy could have handled him on her own, but she appreciated the guys' efforts to try to help out.

Willow jumped to her feet and shook her head. "But...But nobody should have to-"

"Willow!" Three voices stopped her at once. Giles was the one who went on. "Someone must do this. There is no other way. Now...Now Zach is a danger. You said yourself he has taken numerous lives. He will continue to do so. If we allow him to escape, we will be responsible for any innocent lives he destroys. Now...If we can prevent this as well as you becoming a werewolf, then I can see no other way around this."

Oz was the only one who remained silent. He was now on his feet though. He looked at Zach a long moment. He wasn't filled with ego about some other guy doing the ritual for him. Nor was he relieved. He was, as always, worried. About Willow. He knew she would hold the guilt for whatever happened next.

He walked over to her and leaned in to say something softly to her. "He may live. But if he doesn't, maybe he'll find some peace, Will."

Her look softened and she nodded to Anya who began the summoning spell while the other three held Zach in place.

She watched dully, Oz standing by her side as a bright orange glow erupted inside the pentagram. Where was this Casso? Wherever it was, it didn't show itself to the small gathered group. Instead, Zach was sucked directly out of Buffy, Xander and Giles' grips. Almost like the carpet swallowed him up before all went still.

"Now what?" Xander asked. Anya climbed to her feet. She had been sitting before the pentagram reciting the spell. "Now we wait until tonight to see if it worked."

"Now you tell us!" Grumbled Buffy. She was disappointed. Not only did she not get to see Zach's corpse turned inside out, but she didn't even get to see this Casso creature!

"On the up side, I remembered to get enough jelly donuts for everyone." Leave it to Xander to find the sugary lining to every dark cloud.


	23. The Trials Begin

While the group tried hard not to think of the long wait ahead of them, Zach was standing before this Casso fellow, staring and growling under his breath. "What the hell do _you_ want?" He grumbled, wiping blood from his chin.

The Casso was indeed a sight to behold. At seven feet tall, weighing a good three hundred and fifty pounds, he could easily pass for a mutated sumo wrestler. Folds of skin fell over a much too revealing loin cloth. Sweat dripped down ripples of red and gray flesh. The stench coming from this beast made Zach gag a time or two. It was all he could do not to retch.

The Casso smirked. "Ah, another victim! The demons that lay within the Trials to defeat you won't let you come ouf of this alive. I'll go soft on you to start with. But make no mistake about it. You will not survive this day.:"

With that, the Casso made a sweeping gesture with his clawed fist and Zach found himself falling backwards into a dark, watery pit. Would this be his grave? He would face it proudly and heroically.

The others may not have understood that a werewolf had to follow his nature. That killing pure humans was a part of that nature, but Zach knew all too well of his own inner being. He knew he was too beast to be human enough to follow their rules. Too human to be completely beast. For even now his heart secretly ached. The pain deep from Willow's rejection.

In his own mind, he could not win a girl's heart the way a mortal boy would. He had not the skills nor charm of the pure human. He did all he knew to do to gain Willow as his mate. He would easily die for her. But not like this...Not for a mate that was not yet fully his.

He was in complete darkness. He scrambled to his feet and kept his other senses fully alert to his surroundings. He was in cold waters up to his calves. Something touched his leg and he jerked away.

Again the feel of rough scales against his leg slid by and he growled quietly. He reached down and yanked on what felt like a snake. As he pulled it up a soft yellow glow came from the creature. Zach realized all too late that this wasn't the creature, but one of multiple extensions. Like an octopus only far more 'legs' did this glowing sickly yellow creature, this monster surfacing before him, had. It rose from the watery depths emitting the glow. Somehow the glow made it all the more terrifying.

Zach quickly started stepping back, feeling the change taking over. Fur erupted from his skin and his bones began to merge and change shape. He groaned at the pains within his own body. But never did he take his eyes from the creature before him. It's long, scaly, snake-like legs reached out for him, attempting to ensnare him it their grasp. His only chance of survival now would be if he could sever them with his teeth. This, he could do.

But this was only the beginning. How could he survive all of the trials?


	24. The Waiting Game

Willow lay in a back room in Giles' home, an unwilling partner in the conspiracy to force her into sleep. They'd ganged up on her, making it impossible to refuse. Rest, her friends had insisted, was the best thing for her. She wondered idly if the reason for their insistence might not be something a bit more selfish on their parts. Perhaps they simply couldn't take spending the day having to look at her with unanswered questions.

A dog barking in the distance was bothering her as well. It sounded like he was practically in the room with her. It didn't bother her that it was so loud and sounded so close. What disturbed her much more was her awareness that the bark was at least three to four blocks south. She had no idea how she knew this, only why.

Her uninjured hand self-consciously stroked her bandaged arm. She lay flat on her back, staring blankly up at the ceiling until a light tap at the door grabbed her attention. Desperate for anything that might take her mind off the differences already occurring in her, she sat up quickly. "Come in!" She said, looking on hopefully.

Buffy stepped quietly into the room looking almost timid. Willow's face gave a brief show of disappointment, but vanished just as quickly. It was true, she'd been hoping for Oz. But then she remembered something important and her eyes lit up.

Buffy scowled in confusion at the conflicting emotions she saw flash over her friend's face. "How are you feeling, Will? Need anything?"

Willow nodded, wide eyed. "Oh, Buffy, come here? Please?" She pleaded, her voice so full of urgency that Buffy was spurned forward. She found herself sitting on the edge of the bed facing her friend with question marks in her eyes.

Willow reached out and grabbed Buffy's hand, and started intently into her eyes. Studying her friend, Buffy didn't like what she was seeing there.

"Buffy, you have to promise me something." Nothing good ever came of anyone asking this of Buffy. Worry flickered over her features.

"What is it, Will?" Her voice was tight, quiet.

Willow's resolve was unshaken. "If the ritual doesn't work-" Buffy cut her off. "It will work." She nearly glared at the red head. But Willow was having none of that. "Buffy, just listen to me please." Buffy quieted down and Willow began again. "If the ritual doesn't work, I need you to promise something to me. I need you to promise that, no matter what it takes, you won't ever let me hurt anybody. Ever." She added for emphasis.

The implications nearly caused Buffy's strong heart to stop. Her best friend in the world was asking her for an impossible favor. A promise no one, even a slayer, should have to make. But she handled it as she knew she had to. She let herself think of what must be done. The worse possible scenario. A werewolf Willow on the loose, all other options used up. If she killed someone, Buffy knew, her fragile friend couldn't live with herself. And it would be solely Buffy's responsibility to end Willow's life.

When it came down to it, would she be able to do that? She couldn't honestly say yes to herself. But anything to ease that already guilt-laden look in her friend's eyes. "I promise I will do everything I can to keep you from hurting anyone." She solemnly sweared.

Relief crossed Willow's face and she released her grip on the slayer's hand to fall back against the pillows. She closed her eyes, feeling suddenly very exhausted now that she realized that, among all else, is what was troubling her most about becoming a werewolf. Losing control and hurting someone...Killing them. It was her worse fear. "Thank you." She whispered, feeling darkness capture her from consciousness.

Buffy waited until Willow's breathing became even and calm before she got up and walked out, heading back into the living room. Anxious faces met hers, scanning it for signs of Willow's well being. "She's asleep." Was all she said before slumping down next to Oz on the sofa.

She wondered what the werewolf might be thinking, but it was impossible to be sure. He'd been the only one who didn't seem to need to look at her for reassurances at how Willow was doing. He automatically seemed to know what sort of state the girl must be in.

The group settled into an uneasy silence while they waited out the long, painful day.


	25. Ritual Woes

Zach's lycan body was covered with red, weeping lesions from the attack the octo-creature had made on his being. After a while of fighting the creature, the pain had become so disabling that his brain chose to numb him to it. Running on adrenalin alone, Zach couldn't stop. He'd finished off the creature with endless arms and still wasn't sure how he'd managed it. As soon as his teeth ripped through one arm, another appeared, multiple arms had pulled him under, trying to strangle and sting and tear his limbs from his body. But somehow, the arms slowly stopped appearing until finally there were no more. He'd found the blob of a head with bloodied stumps and killed it with one ferocious slice of fangs into vulnerable tissue.

But now, as early afternoon made the sun high in the sky, here below in darkness, Zach could sense the next of his trials approaching. Frighteningly fast. Red blobs in the distance came closer and closer. He focused and as they came into view, his vision cleared. Two feet tall, red demons with double horns came charging at him. Dozens of them. He began to realize these tests were less about strength and more about endurance.

His hope renewed. He could handle this. He had trekked prey through vast forests for days at a time without so much as stopping for a nap. He would survive this. And something in that thought made him flash back to Willow. She would survive this too. As a mere mortal girl. Purely human. Could he truly allow that to happen? Yet, his choices were to live or die, not the consequences of what would happen to his potential future mate.

At least if he lived, he stood a chance. He could go away, lick his wounds, and return one day to finally fully claim her as his. With a new energy, he clawed, bit, and ripped away the lives of each approaching demon, barely feeling the blows they dealt him.

What felt like minutes for Zach was actually hours passing. Each hour his body was wearing down more and more. Some ribs were broken, his left eye was swollen shut, his ear was maimed at the tip, a tear from one of the little demons. If he lived through this, it would surely be a permanent reminder of a battle he'd lost. Oh, not the battle of these damned trials, but that of losing Willow. For now.

His body was strong, but the hits, bites, claws and kicks he was receiving was definitely doing some serious damage. He forced his mind through the pain, through the uncertainty, even though the thoughts that he didn't know how much more he could take. The endless swarm of little red demons would be overwhelming even to a werewolf in the best of health.

He wondered vaguely if Willow would appreciate what he was doing for her. Killing all of these countless creatures for hours for her. His body was aching, the wolf within was begging for relief.

At one point, as the afternoon soon began to dip lower in the sky far above, his senses were beginning to dull. At a time when the moon would be coming and his senses would normally be embracing the moon's strength, more alert than ever, he was barely on the level of a mere mortal. He could no longer even hear each creature in the distance at it waited its turn for attack. Their growls and scents were lost on him. He was nothing more than a machine now, going on pure instinct. Kill. Kill. Kill. Only in his mind it wasn't the creatures his dark hatred and want for a kill was coming from. It was Oz.

It wasn't too much longer now. The sun would disappear below the horizon and Willow's fate would be sealed. An option grew in Zach's mind. He could simply ward off the attacks and slow down his kills. Keep it up, give Willow just enough time to become his True Mate and then he could defeat them, escape, and go collect her.

Yes, that was what he would do.

He allowed the horrid little demons to bite at him and claw at him, wincing and groaning in pain as he swatted them aside without trying to kill them all. Yet.

Willow. The thought made him smile. Soon, she would truly be his after all.


	26. A Complicated Solution?

Oz could feel the tug of the moon. It would soon be here. One way or the other, Willow's fate would be sealed. His eyes were locked on his hands in his lap. Until her sweet scent wafted back into the room. His gaze lifted abruptly, his body tensing.

Willow entered the living room, giving an unusually light-hearted smile to her friends and Oz. "Well, I did the nap thing. I hope everyone is happy about that." The were-kitten trailed after her. The thing had lounged about on the bed, napping with her the last hour or so. She wasn't sure what would happen to the poor thing, but she knew without a doubt she would find a home for it before letting Buffy turn it out into the wild.

Nobody was speaking even though faked smiles were thrown at her from every direction. She bit into her lip. "I...Uh...I've been thinking..." This grabbed their interest. "Being a werewolf might not be so bad." She said with false cheer. "I could use Oz's old cage and hey, for three nights a month I won't have to worry about homework or vampires."

Her friends gave her a few sympathetic smiles, but Oz didn't. He merely looked at her softly, yet with determination. In no way did he want her to have his life.

"True," Xander spoke up. He popped a can of soda and smiled impishly. "And just think," Riley waltzed in the door just then. He was slowly getting used to the fact that everyone did this at Giles' place and if he wanted to fit in with Buffy and her friends, he would have to follow suit. But Xander barely glanced at him before finishing. "When you get those awesome senses you won't even have to go to the Bronze to hear what band's playing there. And you won't have to worry or wonder if food you get served is bad, you'll smell it before they even bring it out. That's a talent we could all use."

Riley scowled. "What did I miss?" He asked as he slid in to sit beside Buffy, his arm automatically going around her.

"Oh, werewolves, bites," Willow showed him her arm. "A craving for totally moonless nights, and a general sense of dread."

It didn't take Riley long to figure out that Willow had been bitten by a werewolf. Even though he had no clue how that could have happened, he didn't pry. But he did notice the kitten-fish and pointed at it. "Why not use the facilitated were-creature?" He suggestion, making every head in the room turn to stare at him as if he'd just sprouted wings.

"Do whatta?" Xander voiced what the others were thinking.

"Use the were-creature's blood to cure Willow." A murmur rose from those around him, making Riley look baffled.

"Uh...Um...." Giles glanced at his books helplessly, then back at Riley. "How might one go about doing such a thing?"

Willow's heart raced and her eyes widened. Did Riley even know what he was talking about? If so, she really had only one question. "Can whatever this is, cure Oz too?"

Riley glanced at Willow's hopeful face, then at Oz's passive one, but had to look away. "Well...No...It's complicated..." He began, knowing they were now relying on him. The sun would be down in a very short time and then what? He wanted to protect people and Buffy's friends especially. He admitted to himself that pleasing her was actually nearly even with helping cure a would-be werewolf.

He pulled his jacket open and produced an empty syringe. He held it out, the needle safely capped, for anyone to take.

Nobody exactly leaped for it. They were all waiting to hear what he had to say. Riley kept the syringe held out and began to speak. "Well, the were-creature had an entire blood transfusion when it was just a regular feline. All of his blood was drained and added back in using a process known as Pheresis. But it was added back in with two sets of cells. The mutated ones that create the were-creature effect, which if left on it's own, would doom it to a life of a Were. The second set though, was designed specifically to keep that from happening. He was created only as an experiment and was never meant to permanently become a were-creature."

Giles was taking notes and listening aptly. Buffy was nearly on the edge of her chair. She turned to stare at him. Xander was trying very hard to keep up with this conversation, but it was confusing. Anya looked...Well, bored. But then again, she was Anya. Willow listened as hopeful and worried as ever. Only Oz, rigid in his seat, could hear the hearts in the room and know that his own was beating the most rapidly, even more so than Willow's.

If Zach failed somehow, then this could save Willow! If what Riley was telling them could be applied to Willow, he was all for it. He didn't care about his own werewolf status. She was all that mattered.

Riley kept on. "The second set of cells were created to destroy the first set before the next full moon, which is tonight. The were-creature was only given the were-genes within the two full moons. As long as the second set of cells do their job and destroy the first set before the full moon, the creature will be fine. So you just need to extract some of those cells from the creature and inject them into Willow before the moon fully rises." He said with a matter-of-fact confidence.

But there were questions. "Quite an interesting....Uh...Well, If that is so, then how does the werecat change so often? He wouldn't have learned how to change himself between full moons without lots of practice. Oz himself will tell you it has taken a great deal of practice and patience to learn to change from wolf to human, and vice versa without a full moon, I'm sure." Pointed out Giles. "And, how do the cells know to destroy the others before the moon rises? I've never heard of such a thing!"

Buffy nodded her uncertainty. "And if we inject Will with that stuff, won't she be in danger of becoming a werecat too?"

The idea of that struck Anya as funny as she watched the red cat streak across the room. "How did he get so red?" She questioned. "He looks more like a little demon than a werecat."

Riley took a breath and launched into some answers to their questions. "This has been tried on quite a few animals but...Never a human." He admitted reluctantly. "We can't know for sure what will happen. But by all accounts, the creatures that are injected with multiple Were traits, showed virtually no signs of Were cells by the next full moon. They've been experimenting with were-creatures for a while now. If we inject Willow with cells from the cat, its not like taking a normal house cat's blood and injecting it into a human. The cat's blood is synthetic and the second set of cells destroy all traces of the Were cells."

He let that sink in before going on. "So she won't become a werecat. Or a werewolf for that matter, if the cells work on her werewolf cells. Now, the first set of cells is what makes the cat able to transform so easily without any training. Those are genetically altered cells created by top scientists. He didn't need to wait for a full moon to morph. His cell structure may be different than Willow's, but the same basic Were cells seem to be in play. At least, from what we've experienced at The Initiative. They've used both synthetic and natural Were cells when working with animals. The second set of cells also dissolve after they've completed their mission, by the way."

Xander was so utterly lost, but all he cared about was Willow being _not_ furry. "So injecting Willow with the cat's blood will make the cat's blood eat up all those bad Were cells?"

Riley nodded. "That's what it should do." He agreed. "And as for how the second set of cells know how to destroy the Were cells before a full moon, it's also complicated. The cells were designed to read fluctuations in the heart. If the Were cells are in danger of contaminating the heart, which is what happens on a full moon, sealing the Were to an unchangeable life that even the second set of cells can't prevent, well the cells can detect that the heart is in danger of the Were cells and it attacks them quickly, destroying all that are within the body in minutes. Oh, and the cat is red because whoever was experimenting on him added their own spice to his blood. They apparently liked blood red for the outside as well. Maybe symbolic of the use of blood experimentation." He shrugged.

"So all we need is to take that syringe, get some of the cat's cells, and inject them into Willow?" Buffy asked, and Riley nodded.

Still, no one reached for the syringe. Finally, Oz stepped forward and took hold of it. "I'll do it." He offered. If this effected Willow in a bad or negative way, it would be on his shoulders, not her friends. They didn't need that. He glanced at Willow to see how she felt about this, but she wasn't about to argue. She was desperate.

"I'll hold the kitty." Buffy went over and scooped the kitten up into her arms, petting it's head and back in a soothing gesture. The cat didn't seem to sense anything was amiss as it purred at her contentedly. At least, she thought ruefully, mutant kitty wouldn't have to remain a kitten-fish. It would probably be a little less difficult to find a home for it.

"And hey, Will, if you do suddenly become a werecat too, we'll get you a big ol' ball of yarn to chase." Xander joked, earning himself a glare.

Buffy sank down on the sofa, cradling the cat carefully in her arms as Oz approached cautiously. The cat's eyes had been closed, enjoying being pet. But one eye popped open and then the other, studying Oz warily. Oz reached down and stroked the large, red kitty a few times to calm him again. He froze a moment when he realized the sun truly was setting and the moon would soon rise fully. He couldn't have that! Outside the sky was lit up in an array of pale pinks and oranges as the sun dipped slowly below the horizon.

Oz kept the plunger of the syringe pressed down and then waited for Buffy to give a nod. She held the cat strongly as Oz jabbed the long needle into the skin in the back of his neck. The cat gave a fierce 'ROWR' and started clawing at Buffy's arms, the only thing in his reach. She winces as claws sliced ribbons into her skin, but she held fast to the creature as Oz pulled the plunger slowly out, extracting the red fluid from the it's body.

Willow looked away, not wanting to see the poor kitten in pain, nor liking her friend's arms to be cut up like that. All because of her...

Finally Oz had filled the syringe full and pulled the needle out of the cat. Buffy released the poor creature and it flung itself out of her arms, racing out of the room so fast he was barely a blur, before disappearing back down the hallway. No doubt to find a safe hiding place to recover. "Bad kitty." Buffy muttered. "I'll only forgive you for making my arms look like I ran them against a cheese grater, if this works for Will." She said grumpily, holding her arms out so that the blood didn't splatter too much on her blouse.

Oz was full of doubts. Surely injecting the girl he loved with blood from a synthetically cursed kitten-fish, was not the most secure way of making sure she didn't become a Were. But he was willing to do virtually anything to keep her from such a fate. He gave a glance at Riley who nodded. "Inject it right away, before the cells die." Riley encouraged. "They tend to die fast when outside of a body."

Giles wanted to try to help as well, but he was at a complete loss. Where his books came in handy, the Initiative made them all and himself, quite useless. They used technologies he was unfamiliar with. He didn't know if this would work or make things worse. But they had to try something. Even though he wondered if it wouldn't be a better idea to just sit back and hope that Zach completed the Trials.

Oz approached Willow in a far less cautious, but more delicate manner. He looked at her uncertainly, and she gave him a soft smile. Needles weren't her favorite thing, but she'd deal with it. She refused to let herself think of the potential complications from this.

She held her arm out for Oz and closed her eyes, biting down on her bottom lip. Oz noted that she looked paler than ever. He wanted to ask if she was sure she was okay with this, but there was no time. If he didn't act now, this particular idea would never work. The moon was coming. He could feel it in his own veins.

He took hold of her arm gently and with the care even most nurses probably didn't bother with. He searched and found a vein, gently sinking the needle into the Willow's uninjured forearm. Willow bit so hard on her bottom lip, she feared she might draw blood. She forced herself to relax as Oz pushed the plunger down, injecting the blood into her body.

"This can't be sanitary." She mumbled quietly. No, in fact, she was positive that sharing a needle with a werecat was not a good idea at all. But too late to worry about that now!

She slowly opened her eyes as the burning feeling of the needle and fluid in her arm subsided. Oz was pulling the needle away and recapping it already. He looked at her questioningly. She shrugged and rubbed her arm. "I...Don't feel any different. Yet." She busied herself with getting a washcloth to help clean up Buffy's bloody arms. She looked towards the window. It was growing dark outside...


	27. An end to Zach?

Zach held the drove of tiny demons off for as long as his body could feel the moon hadn't quite rose yet. But the moment he felt the sun dip away and the full strength of the moon, he let down his guarded attack and released his full potential on the little beasts.

The demons' were being ripped apart so quickly that they were nothing more than blurs of flesh and fluids being tossed through the air. Within minutes of night, he'd finished them off in no time at all. The creatures had grown used to his weaker attempts and hadn't expected him to suddenly gain strength. He knew the trials were over and he sank to the grown and howled in happy triumph, not to mention severe pain.

His now weathered body had taken quite a beating. Every breath, every move, hurt all the more. Exhaustion and elation vied for domination at the core of his being. He knew being a werewolf had its advantaged. It would take a few weeks to fully recover, but his body would heal faster than a regular humans' would. So he opted to concentrate on the most important detail. Willow. The moon was high in the sky and he had not completed the trials in time. She was a werewolf. She would be his.

His lips, on a face covered with drying, caked on blood, cracked into a wicked smile.

A flash of light surrounded him and suddenly he was back at the Casso's feat. He looked up at the large creature and gave him a smirk. But the Casso did not look very impressed. "You have nearly completed the trials. The girl has been saved. You must fully complete the trials to be free."

Zach paused at this, trying to make sense of it. "But...I didn't complete it in time...." He said, confused. "The girl shouldn't be saved...." He was talking more to himself now as he coughed up some blood and spat it at the unflinching Casso's feat.

The Casso shrugged. "There are other ways. Her friends saved her." Suddenly it was the Casso's turn to smirk. "You went through all of that for nothing. She will be nothing more than a plain human girl now. And you," In all of the confusion, Zach had failed to register the 'you must fully complete the trials' part of things. "Must die."

Zach's heart was still trying to catch up to losing everything he'd worked so hard for. He knew Willow's potential. What she could be. What they together could become. He threw his head back and howled, this time with a painful, mournful sound that even caused the Casso to look pained for the briefest of moments.

He'd lost her. She was just some fragile little mortal girl again. He couldn't let that be! "I-I'll try again...She _will_ be mine." He muttered, staggering to his feet. But the Casso chuckled, a bellowing sound from such an ominous looking demon.

"That won't be happening, son." He told the werewolf in a stern, almost regretful tone. "The end of the trial comes with your freedom only. Freedom from life, that is. You must die. That is your only escape."

Zach's eyes narrowed. He was about to snap at the Casso, but suddenly he was surrounded by dark, shadowy beasts who seemed to be all over him. He tried to fight back, but his attempts went right through them. As though he were trying to fight off the very air he breathed. He felt a crushing pain against his chest and could no longer take breath.

His vision darkened, his lungs burned. This was it. He knew it was over. He was dying and he had lost. At least, he could leave with a shred of dignity knowing he had completed the trials. His final thoughts were of Willow and how badly he wanted her. More than just to curse Oz. More than a mere revenge. But her scent, her smile, her hair, her everything, he wanted it. And then....Everything went black.


	28. Willow and Oz The End

"Get some more blankets!" Shouted Riley. He tossed yet another atop of Willow. She lay, curled into a ball, smothered in blankets already. She wasn't alone. Oz was swallowed up by the endless number of blankets as well, his legs wrapped firmly around hers, his arms encircling her close. A few minutes before the sun disappeared, she began to get chills unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

Her core body temperature dropped nearly ten degrees. Enough to kill someone. Oz had been the first to sense the changes. He'd felt the waves of cold flowing off of her. He had seen her blue lips trembling and immediately pulled her against him to help warm her even before the others were gathering blankets to throw over their dear friend.

"Alright, soldier boy, what the hell is happening to her?" Xander was glaring at Riley. This was all his fault! He and his stupid mutant kitten fish would be the death of Willow!

Riley had no real answers. "I don't know..." He helped Buffy gather the only other blankets left in Giles' house and throw them over the two. "I've never seen or heard of this happening before...Its never been tried on a human..."

Anya was helping Giles search through his books for a cause or solution to whatever was happening. But she spoke up as she scanned one book, then another. "Well look at the bright side. She's still a human. No fangs or fur for the witch."

Giles nodded his agreement. "Yes, thats true. But this is a side-effect we hadn't expected...But-But lets not panic." He could see a nearly murderous expression from Buffy so he hurried on. "We managed our way over one obstacle, surely we can manage another." He said optimistically.

Riley felt responsible. As well he should. He searched his memories about such experiments and calmed down even as Willow shuddered violently. Oz's grip on her tightened, his hands and arms moving up and down her ice cool skin to try to heat her up. "I...Could head back to the Initiative, try to find an answer..."

Xander was annoyed and he wanted to pound Riley's face in at the moment. "Wait!" A thought came. And then another. He looked around and a little relief crossed his features. He breathed in and smiled. "Blood transfusions...I've been here before. There's always side effects. I had to have blood transfusions otherwise I'd be a giant fish right now." That got him an odd look from Riley and Anya too. She hadn't been there for that. He ignored the looks. "Well those cells and stuff you were talking about, they probably are destroying themselves now. We had temperatures with our blood transfusions, the rest of the swim team and me. They lasted a few hours after treatment, but then disappeared. I bet that's whats happening to her."

He didn't fully understand it himself, but it relaxed him to think of it. The others weren't so sure and as one hour turned to two, they doubted him completely. But on the third house, Giles' heater set to 100 degrees, and all of them hovering around the ball of blankets, adding their own body heat, and Willow stopped trembling.

Within ten minutes after that, she started weakly trying to shove the blankets off of her. "Woah, it's hot in here. Can somebody turn on the air?" Laughter of relief trickled out around her, adding to her confusion. The last few hours were a blur to her. As the blankets lifted away and light shone in, she saw Oz's much loved and concerned face peering at her, felt his arms still around her. She almost smiled. She didn't want to move from his embrace. But it was necessary. Because now her face was flushed and her temperature was not only normal, but a bit on the high side from all of the extra heat.

Other than that, she seemed no worse for the wear.

Oz slowly released her as he felt her tugging free. He sat up as she did, and climbed to his feet. He held out a hand to help her up. She gladly took it and stood. "I'm....Not a werewolf." She said, glancing at the clock. It was after nine! Shock showed on her face.

Everyone looked tired, but relieved. Buffy hugged her friend. "Nope." She laughed. Xander joined in the hug. "You're all Willowy, just the way we like you." He chimed in. The three friends hugged briefly before finally separating.

Riley cleared his throat. "I'm glad you're okay now, Willow." He offered her a tight smile. "But I should get going. Gotta make the rounds." Buffy reached for his hand. "Double that. Patrol calls. I still have that house of vampires to dust." She looked back at Willow. "If you'll be okay...?"

Willow smiled now, looking stronger and less upset with each moment. The only sign of the trauma she'd been through was the bandage on her arm. "I'm fine! Good as new! Or-Or old. Old me I mean." She babbled away cutely, causing Oz's lips to twitch upwards.

"Okay then. Well, if you need me, you know where to find me." Buffy gave one last look to her friend, then lead Riley out of Giles'. They were all much too tired to discuss everything and in a group like theirs, where each moment counted and there were often unexplained events, she and the others learned to go with the flow. One minute a best friend could be at death's door, the next, all was well. Life was just like that.

Xander and Anya were the next to take their leave. Anya practically dragging Xander out of there. "You owe me a night of uninterrupted love making and don't make me tie you to the bed this time!" She barely let him say goodbye sheepishly, before they were gone.

Giles wasn't an idiot and cleared his throat. "I, um, I shall make some notes of what has happened in case we need them in the future. I'm quite please you are well now Willow. I...Uh....Yes." With that, and an armful of books, papers and the like, he trailed off into his room and shut the door. The only company he had now was the big, fat, red cat that was parked on his bed. He sighed, shook his head and tried to ignore it as he began his work excitedly. Documenting all that had occurred.

Willow and Oz were left alone. "I...Wonder what happened to Zach...." She immediately regretted even mentioning the other werewolf to Oz. Oz flinched, but held his non-chalant look fairly well. "Well I mean...eh..." She decided it was best to drop that topic all together. It was over and she wasn't sure she wanted to know the outcome.

"Anyway um...." She looked at Oz. "Thank you for coming all this way for me....I guess you'll be wanting to leave again." There was a squeak to her voice even as she said this. Oz looked at her sharply.

"Is that what you want?" He asked her, his voice ever quiet.

Willow looked down, feeling his eyes on her. "When has what I wanted mattered? I didn't want you to leave last time. Pleaded with you..." She pointed out.

"I left to learn to protect you from me."

It was a reasonable response. She knew it was more than that though. It was true. There was something it didn't help or stop though. "But...You left me when I needed you most." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I didn't want protection from you...I understand why you felt you had to leave, but you should have made sure I was okay first."

Oz couldn't argue with this. He'd been so terrified of physically harming her that he didn't consider her emotional state quite as much. He figured a dead Willow was far worse than a traumatized live one. "I'm sorry." His voiced seemed to get even softer. "I never wanted to hurt you."

She swallowed back a lump. "Oz," She dared look up at him, only seeing remorse in his clear green eyes. "You seem to have control now...At least enough...If I wanted you...Would you stay?"

Oz blinked as if that were the craziest question she'd ever asked. "I can't see why I wouldn't."

Willow groaned, making Oz look worried. "Why are you always so cryptic!" Of course, it was his way, and she knew it, but right now, in this place and time, she needed more from him. She needed him to be blunt and direct. She moved to stand in front of him.

"Za-Someone, told me that werewolves can only truly for life, mate with other werewolves....How do I know you even want me. What if you just plan to stay with me out of guilt or until another Veruca comes long?"

A troubled look crossed Oz's face ever briefly. He slowly reached out and took her good hand between both of his. He stared into her eyes, hers upset, his sincere. "I didn't know what pheromones meant from one wolf to another. I do now. That's all it was. Lust. Not love, Will. I know it now enough to control it. I still need to work with the wolf within to keep things balanced and peaceful, but that...What happened with Veruca, that's never gonna happen again. Because now that I understand how strong it is, I love you too much to let it. I can and will control it, with my love for you." He paused only a moment in what was probably his longest speech ever. "I don't care who told you what about werewolves. I don't need another wolf. I need you. I'm still me. You're still you. I love you. I want you. I don't want to leave you. That's not gonna change. Ever."

His words were so full of genuine love and truth that Willow teared up. She stepped closer, her thoughts running wild as her heartbeat sped up a few paces. He was right. The things Zach said about werewolves had to be lies. At least the mating thing. Willow knew Oz had felt complete with her. Why else would he return to her and want to stay? Maybe for a wolf like Zach, life with a mere human girl didn't seem interesting enough for him, but she knew she was more than enough for Oz. She could see it in his eyes.

He always supported her and what she wanted to be and do, he was always here for her. The only time he wasn't was after the Veruca horror. Which, she understood, wasn't completely his fault. The werewolf bitch had gone after him, pursued him, confused him with hormones and wrong words about werewolves just as Zach had tried to do to her. She could forgive Oz that. Because she knew he truly loved her. Who was she kidding? She could forgive Oz just about anything.

"Don't leave." She said in a whisper, her lips inches from his.

His familiar solemn look was still in place. "Never. I'll never leave you again." How could he? She was his heart.

Willow closed the distance, her lips crushing needfully against his as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer, deepening the longing kiss. Nothing had felt this wonderful in months! This was probably the highlight of her year! This kiss held all of the passion, the pain, everything. She explored his lips, his mouth, his taste, closing her eyes slowly and reacquainting herself with all things Oz. They would work through this. Even his werewolf issues seemed unimportant in this moment. All there was, was love. And she had her Oz back. That's all that mattered.

* * *

_A limp body lay in a ditch down an alleyway in Los Angeles. Broken to the point that any average man or woman would take one glance and think to call the morgue rather than an ambulance, something happened._

_Angel's nose scrunched up at the scent. He'd just finished killing a demon and his adenaline was still going full boar. He followed the trail of blood wrapped around the heavy animal scent until he came across the body. "Just what I wanted to do with the rest of my night." He heaved the werewolf's body up over his shoulder and hurried back to his office to let Wesley have a look at it._

_Wesley was all too eager to help out when Angel told him what the man truly was, though he would have helped without that knowledge. "A werewolf! How exciting! It's dead! But it couldn't have been dead long. I wonder..." He began very human resuscitation techniques on the broken man's body, feeling already cracked ribs moving and breaking more at each touch as he gestured for Angel to pump the stranger's heart while he gave him mouth-to-mouth._

_Fifteen minutes in, he was about to give up, when the man lurched and coughed, choking up blood. Angel made a face because the scent of werewolf blood was highly unappealing to his senses. Wesley looked elated. "A werewolf! One that controls itself during the full moon. There have been tales of such, but to see it up close!" He rambled on as the creature slowly opened his eyes._

_He'd died. He'd completed the trials. But somehow, with luck, he was found and brought back to life! He didn't know where he was or how long his recovery would take, but he knew one thing. Without a doubt, Willow would be his one way or another. Although the vampire nearby was unsettling and the human was annoying, Zach smiled._

_The End_

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_Finally, after all of this time, I completed Can't Run Away. I hope you enjoyed it! The last few chapters didn't come together quite as well as I would have liked, but I think it went okay. It's been a struggle to complete as I've had some real life issues to deal with and many other things come up. But I'm happy to have finally given a conclusion as I know many people have eagerly been waiting on me for on. Your reviews and all are well appreciated. Thank you for reading!  
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